


Logic or Magic?

by ShiroNekoIsMe



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Akakuro - Freeform, Anal Sex, Blood and Violence, Crimes & Criminals, Detective Akashi, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual fluff and smut, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, I Tried, I'm still thrashy amirite, Kissing, M/M, Mystery, Police, Psychic Kuroko, Sherlock Holmes AU, Slow Build, This won't involve any love triangles don't worry, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Workplace Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-05-02 21:43:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5264747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiroNekoIsMe/pseuds/ShiroNekoIsMe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A natural genius since birth, Akashi Seijuurou is famous for his intelligence and capable in solving all mysteries he encountered, all of them except for one: Kuroko Tetsuya, a frail mysterious man who suddenly barged into his life uninvited.</p><p> Sherlock Holmes AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Great Detective

**Author's Note:**

> Shiro: I've recently finished watching Sherlock Holmes the Series and I fell in love with Sherlock's and Watson's relationship~ they're so adorable and meant for each other!! So yeah, I was inspired to make an Akakuro version of this awesome series!
> 
> Warning: This won't exactly follow the original storyline and Akashi's a bit of an ass at the beginning but hey, that's how Sherlock rolls right? Lol xD
> 
> Disclaimer: KnB and Sherlock Holmes are not mine~
> 
> P/S: sorry for the long note~ tell me if you think this shit's worth continuing or not haha :D

**Chapter 1: The Great Detective**

In 221b Baker Street lived a very odd and eccentric man named Akashi Seijuurou. His appearance was as magical as his intelligence level. Fiery red hair, striking ruby and gold eyes, lean but fit stature and his body always clad in black and red. He had everything in the world that others would kill for just to own them; brains, looks, money and fame. In short, he was the very embodiment of perfection.

But, unbeknowst to them, there was one thing he never did have nor did he bother to have - it was love (and err, perhaps a humane side). Love? Akashi would cringe on the spot at the mention of such - 'inefficacious' word - as he like to describe it. Perhaps it was this belief that made him the way he was now, an anti-social loner who's blunt with words.

Once, a woman who confessed her love for him screamed "Psychopath!" to him after he flat-out rejected her by justifying she had unbearably stinky feet. The redhead calmly replied, "I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning sociopath. _Do your research_." And that marked the end of his 'love affairs' altogether.

Up until today, the brilliant but arrogant detective felt no need to associate himself with other lesser beings, in other words, all humans aside from him. To him, no one could ever be equal or more supreme than he was. His mind was like a racing jet, constantly moving at high speed and never stopping to rest even once. He was different from the rest of the human species who hardly maximise their brain capacities as much as he did. Therefore, he couldn't bring himself to feel attracted to anyone. There was simply no need to.

Akashi would soon realise how wrong he was.

* * *

 

_the game is on..!_

* * *

 

"This is the place..?" A cool but somewhat toneless voice greeted the sleeping redhaired detective who was lying on the sofa, his long limbs dangled cross-legged at one end of the hard couch. The redhead blinked open his eyes in an instant being the light sleeper he was. "Momoi-san? Is it a guest?" (More like customers or self-proclaimed ex-lovers that were still hung up on him)

Akashi stifled a yawn and drowsily raked his crimson hair with his hand as he sat up straight. His unbuttoned shirt fell down from his right shoulder, exposing his well-toned chest. Every woman in the world would definitely melt into a puddle of goo if they could see him now.

"Oh my, forgive me Akashi-kun for suddenly dropping by on such a short notice." A middle-aged woman with greyish pink hair tied into a loose bun smiled apologetically towards the redhead. "But dear, you should dress more properly." Feeling her maternal instincts kicking in, the woman quickly fixed and buttoned up his shirt. She was Momoi Satsuki, the landlord of the house whom Akashi would deliberately mistaken for a housekeeper once in while. "Ah, I almost forgot! He's here. Your new housemate!" She chirped happily.

"My name is Kuroko Tetsuya, please take good care of me from now on." A man around Akashi's age (or maybe younger due to that large almond-shaped eyes of his) spoke monotonously and bowed almost too politely. Pastel blue hair and eye colour, pale complexion and too small of a stature for a typical young male but most of all that plasticity which irked him to no end.

Akashi automatically deduced everything regarding his soon to be housemate; sickly since birth, a pampered young master from a ridiculously wealthy family and a pretentious goody two-shoes. _Heh, this one won't last even a day with me._

Just then, Kuroko cast a strange look to the detective, his sky blue eyes gleamed mystically before returning to their normal but slightly dull shine. Akashi dismissed the weird glance from the apathetic man as he dutifully rose up from the couch to greet him properly. "Pleasure to meet you, Kuroko-kun. I am Akashi Seijuurou, the tenant of this...humble abode of mine." He elaborately bowed and presented his living room which was not in a state where one would call 'tidy' in the slightest.

The room was full of scattered books and papers and other things (junks) lying across the floor haphazardly. But, the most eye-catching item of all was a human skull situated on a small desk.

Kuroko replied in a flat tone, unfazed by the room's messiness, "The pleasure's mine, Akashi-kun." A simple handshake was ensued and Akashi didn't missed how cold the other's hand was. He thought of a good idea there and then. "Momoi-san, would you please fetch the young gentleman some nice hot tea?"

"I'm your landlord dear, not your housekeeper." Momoi-san reminded the genius detective but made her way to the kitchen anyway. "Well, just this once, all right?" Her soft hearted nature would never allow her to say no, especially not to her peculiar tenant whom she had treated like a child of her own.

"And bring out some biscuits too while you're at it." Akashi added with a mischievous smirk, in which the pink-haired lady answered haughtily from the kitchen, _"Not your housekeeper!"_

The redhead then turned his attention towards the bluenette again, sizing up the young man up and down intensely until...

"Um.. Could you please stop staring? It's rude." Kuroko blatantly spoke up his mind, seemingly uncomfortable to be the object of inspection by the redhead (although his face remained impassive as ever).

Akashi chuckled smoothly. "I supposed you haven't heard about me, then? Or do you simply pretended not to?" The redhead found it hard to believe that there were still some people who haven't been informed of his greatness yet.

"Why, am I supposed to." Kuroko deadpanned. His words sounded very much like a statement rather than a question.

 _'Because it won't make sense otherwise! People who came to me either want to use me or kill me. Only those two groups.'_ Akashi's irritation slowly build up on the inside. What was it? What about this man that made him so uneasy and agitated? Akashi never had any problem in deciphering a person in front of him before but Kuroko Tetsuya was somehow different. He was _unfathomable_. Which group did he belong to?

"What about Momoi-san? She's a kind person so I don't think she belonged to any of the two groups." Kuroko said quietly, breaking Akashi's exhausting train of thoughts. Realising something was amiss, the redhead shot a quizzical look to the bluenette. Did he said that out loud just now? Yes, perhaps he did, Akashi chose to believe that.

"Never mind her. What about you? Which one are _you_?" Akashi suddenly grabbed both of the bluenette's wrists and pinned him to the bookshelf forcefully, causing a few dusty books to fell out of their places to the already messy floor. Expecting to see a flustered or panicked face, the redhead sighed in disappointment when Kuroko brazenly gazed straight into his heterochromatic eyes. "I am..."

Momoi hurriedly stepped into the living room, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits, upon hearing the loud noise. "What happened - !" The female landlord gasped in shock at the sight before her. "Akashi-kun, what are you doing?!" Thankfully she didn't accidentally drop the tray and cause another bloody mess to the already disastrous living room.

Akashi slowly released his grip on the bluenette's wrists before storming out of the house without saying anything.

"Forgive me, Momoi-san. I might have done something to anger Akashi-kun. But, please do not worry." Kuroko explained while calmly rubbing his now bruised wrists. Seconds later, he closed his eyes as if he's concentrating on something. "Ah, it's snowing..." He reopened his eyes and muttered under his breath, earning a 'Pardon?' from the pink-haired lady, worry apparent on her wrinkled face. Kuroko's expression softened, he smiled softly and ensured the older woman with a 'It's nothing to worry about'.

"You have such a kind smile." Momoi finally commented after she was left speechless for a while by the smile. Indeed, it was as if she had just witnessed something spectacular. By then, Kuroko had reverted back to his usual devoid-of-emotions face.

In a short time, the bluenette put on his coat and a woollen scarf around his neck before asking the landlord politely, "Would you please get Akashi-kun's coat for me? I will go and bring him back." Kuroko was waiting at the front door before Momoi came with a black trench coat which belonged to none other than the genius detective.

"Oh my, Kuroko-kun, would you look at that? It's snowing!" Momoi exclaimed excitedly. "It's the first snow for this winter. How wonderful!" Suddenly, the happy grin on Momoi's face fell as she whispered to herself, "Akashi-kun never liked the snow though." Kuroko was wearing an expression that seemed to spell 'I know'. He bowed towards the older woman before exiting shortly after. "Then, I'll be going now."

"Please be careful, Kuroko-kun. And I'll make sure to give Akashi-kun an earful when he gets back!" Momoi waved the bluenette goodbye.

"Where could the man run off to, even forgetting his coat like this? It's so unusual for him to act this way." The pink-haired woman monologued. Call her a worrywart or the likes, she just couldn't leave the redhaired man on his own. Heavens knew what would happen to him if left alone for a long period of time. "And why did it looked like Kuroko-kun knew it started snowing before he actually saw it?" Momoi stared confusedly at the disappearing figure, unable to completely comprehend the situation at hand.

But, Momoi slowly believed that Kuroko could somehow save Akashi's lonely self.

**To be continued...**


	2. Discovery of A Peculiar Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko chases after Akashi after the redhead storms out of the house. They meet, sit together side by side and talk under the falling fluffy snow. Trouble immediately ensues and at the end of it, Akashi finally discovers something that's worth his time; a strange, mysterious case involving the bluenette.

**Chapter 2: Discovery of A Peculiar Case**

"...snow?" He breathed the word out, puffs of air released from his mouth as he spoke.

Akashi blankly stared up the sky as crystallized white flakes danced in the air in slow-motion before hitting the icy cold ground. Akashi hated snow. He always have. There were so many reasons behind it but if he had to name one; it's their fleetingness. Snow would melt. Disappear into nothingness. Snow was fragile. Ethereal and so unattainable. Ah, there he go again. He also hated going into unsophisticated thinking such as this one. He was not trying to be poetic damnit.

Akashi needed a case right now. Something hard to solve and so complicated that he would have to wrack his brains out. Something to keep his mind off of such simplistic thoughts. Where oh where could he find such fresh, delectable mystery?

"I am neither."

A voice came from behind him without a warning and his shoulders suddenly felt heavier. The redhead touched the foreign material he was wrapped in and concluded it to be his wintercoat. The texture only he knew, the smell belonging only to him and of course, Kuroko Tetsuya's goody two-shoes nature all combined. He just knew the other man would chase after him.

Dual-coloured eyes were met with blank, cerulean ones staring from above him. A normal reaction would be a jolt of surprise, letting out a shocked sound or a simple flinch at the most but the redhead was not 'normal' to begin with, so he settled for a, "Oh, really now?" 'He was talking about the two groups matter just now, wasn't he? Quite a persistent fellow... But, neither, huh?' Akashi mused, a smirk curled on his lips. "How can you prove that?" He pressed on, intrigued in finding it out.

Kuroko sighed whilst shaking his head, "I did not hear a 'Thank you' yet from you, Akashi-kun."

Akashi made a '...seriously?' kind of face but Kuroko was not so easily deterred. Blank stares ensued. However, the egoistic redhead would not just bow down to anyone, his pride would not allow him to do such a thing. Another blank stare. Those crystal blue eyes staring deeply into his own, and somehow, Akashi felt exposed. It was as if the other person was peeking right into his heart, every nook and crook of it. Like he had been stripped off all of his clothes and stood stark naked in front of Kuroko. 'What was it? This uneasiness. This unpleasant sense of foreboding.'

The two engaged in a silent staring contest until Akashi unwillingly broke eye contact. They could keep staring at each other to death, or until they're buried by the snow for all he know, if he didn't reconcile first. Kuroko was a surprisingly stubborn man.

With an irked huff, Akashi opened up his mouth reluctantly to say, "...you have my gratitude, Kuroko." You could argued that a simple 'Thank you' would've been shorter and therefore save more time or breath, but Akashi was not one to casually utter words like 'thank you' or 'sorry' to anyone. Again, blame his gigantic mountain of a pride.

"You're welcome, Akashi-kun." Kuroko took a seat beside the redhead while pulling up his scarf closer to his face, his nose and cheeks slowly took a healthy pink colour due to the cold weather. "And I think Akashi-kun should know the answer to your question just now."

The detective leaned closer until their faces were only inches away, their shoulders met. "You do not have the slightest intention of using or killing me. Look me in the eyes and tell me your answer. Yes or no?"

"Yes." The answer came out as a smooth and zero hesitation one as Kuroko fixed another calm gaze on him. Still unfazed by their proximity and Akashi's sudden question. The redhead studied the bluenette for any sign of a single lie, no matter how small and insignificant.

_His facial muscles are relaxed, his pupils are the normal size, his gaze steady and his breathing and heartbeat are all regular. He's not lying._

_That or he was an exceptionally pro conman._

"I cannot lie." Kuroko finally said, his tone remained ever so monotonous.

Akashi raised a questioning eyebrow. _'I cannot lie.'_ That sentence itself was doubtful by a mile. Normally, one would say 'I'm not lying' or 'I'm saying the truth' or somewhere along that line. But, definitely not 'I cannot lie'. Whatever did Kuroko meant by that? It was almost as if he's being threatened not to lie or else...or else what?

And there was another thing that's been bugging the redhead. To think that the great Akashi Seijuurou with his heightened five senses did not even noticed Kuroko sneaking up (yeah, that's right, _sneaking_ ) from behind him. This was absolutely unheard of. He wouldn't be surprised if Kuroko came from a lineage of ninjas or something. "Are you implying..."

**"Ahhhhh!"**

A shrill scream exploded from a deserted alley not far from where they were.

"Helppppp!"

"Don't bother." Akashi intervened as Kuroko rose from his spot to chase after the voice. Fallen fluffy, white snow started to pile up on the empty street, covering the whole town in pure white dust.

"Why?" Kuroko half whispered, not expecting to be stopped by the redhead at all. He knew Akashi-kun was a bit indifferent regarding anyone else's but isn't this going a bit too far? What's so wrong with helping others in need?

"It's a trap." Akashi continued with his figure-it-out smirk, "The scream sounded forced, or to be exact, delibrate? This area is a well known spot for mugging clueless people such as yourself. So, don't just go randomly chasing after it, my good Samaritan."

"I'm still going. Maybe Akashi-kun is right, but Akashi-kun could be wrong as well, no? It's better to try than not trying at all." Kuroko countered, already running towards the direction of the cry.

Akashi remained seated for a while before finally moving in pursuit of the bluenette. "So stubborn." _Yet I just can't seem to leave him alone._

_Fragile yet so reckless..._

* * *

By the time Akashi arrived, Kuroko was already being held captive by a buff-looking man, almost twice as larger than the bluenette, a sharp knife pointed at his throat. Blood began to trickle down his pale neck as the pointy blade pierced his skin without mercy. "Ah, you're here." Kuroko indifferently greeted the redhead. "Please, help me."

"What did I just tell you..?" Akashi pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. How on earth did he got caught so fast again? And was that how you ask for help when your life is on the line? Unbelievable."Unhand him this instant. Or else..."Akashi warned, a threat hanging at the back of his mouth.

This was not a simple robbery. The man was an assassin! In his speedy mind, thousands of possibilities were taken into account for the next step of saving the bluenette without injuring both of them lethally. He couldn't outpower the bigger man by sheer force but Akashi possessed great intellect, one that could served as a deadly weapon if used properly.

The criminal who was holding Kuroko from behind laughed hysterically like a hyena. "Or else what?"

"I'll make you."

"Heh, lemme see ya try then, cocky brat." Just as he said that, Kuroko shouted with all his might (but with that miniscule voice of his, it only sounded like an average speaking volume), "Look out..!" The redhead instantly moved out of the way just in time before a rusty metal pipe swung from above him at full force and hit the ground with a loud clang.

"Tsk, I missed~"A blond woman with voluptuous curve jumped backwards as soon as her attack to the redhead failed.

Akashi straightened himself up after barely escaping a blunt hit to the back of his head. "So, you're the damsel in distress just now, huh? Maybe your voice should have risen an octave higher to make it more realistic."

"Shut it, damn brat. That was just a lucky dodge, don't you think?" The woman sneered while professionally swinging the pipe in her left hand.

"Well, well. Quite a feisty fellow, aren't ya?" The taller man commented while still holding the bluenette captive. "Now, be quiet and come with me, Akashi Seijuurou. Or the boy gets it." _Boy?_ An irritated vein popped on Kuroko's face, 'But I'm already a full-fledged adult.'

All of a sudden, the bluenette ceased any movement. He heard something terrifying, something only he could hear and no one else. It was a certain someone's inner thoughts.

'Kill Akashi Seijuurou. Kill him. And the reward money will be yours.'

_Stop..._

'Kill Akashi Seijuurou.'

_Stop it..._

'Kill Akashi Seijuurou. Kill him. Kill him. _**Kill him**_.'

_I must speak only of the truth._

_I mustn't lie._

_Or else._

"I am the real Akashi Seijuurou." Kuroko said so suddenly, effectively catching both of the mobsters off guard. Akashi took the split second chance to kick a broken piece of brick directly to the man's face which then recoiled and hit the blond woman on top of her head in a hundred percent accuracy. (This is why you learned Physics in school, kids). The smart detective swiftly tied up both of the criminals to each other with a rope he spotted near the trash bins. Then, he took out his phone and dialled a specific number.

The recipient of the call picked up after the third ring. "Officer? It's me, Akashi. I have a couple of early Christmas gifts for you, nicely wrapped."

A gruff voice answered in a boring tone, "Lemme guess, you caught some bad guys somewhere in a deserted alley?"

"Hmm, you sure you're not cut out to be a detective instead?"

"Ha-ha. Where's the exact location?"

"21 Grimstone, Alcuin Street. Five blocks away from a coffee shop named Caffè Latte."

"Got it. I'll send a squad to pick them up. By the way, are you still case hunting? We just - "

"No need. I finally found myself a peculiar exciting case to solve this time." Akashi eyed the bluenette slumping on the ground, the shock of being held captive with a knife pointed to his neck finally seeping in. "Well, then."

After hanging up, Akashi made way towards the sky blue haired man, who remained unmoving."Are you all right?" Kuroko flinched a little, slowly turning his head towards Akashi's direction. However, the redhead noticed he was facing his direction but those crystal blue eyes seemed a bit unfocused. Kuroko was, in fact, not looking at him in the eyes at all. "...yes, I'm fine, thank you."

Could it be that he couldn't see?

Akashi silently brought his left hand near Kuroko's face and waved it slightly. No reaction. He was right. Kuroko suddenly lost his sense of sight in a most inexplicable way Akashi had yet to unravel. 'I cannot lie.' Back then, Kuroko did said that one odd phrase which bothered him a little. It had something to do with this absurd phenomenon, he thought intuitively.

"Akashi-kun found out already, didn't he?"

The detective stared at the bluenette for a while, intepreting the meaning behind that sentence. "That you suddenly turned blind? Yes. But how? Not yet." Did anything happened in between their struggle just now? There were no external injuries though. Illness? Poison? Drugs? Was it temporary?

So many questions popped inside Akashi's mind as he tried to decipher the mystery behind the complicated puzzle. Then, something inside his head clicked. "You can't lie because of certain consequences you'll face, including losing your sight?" Akashi concluded, placing a curled finger to his lips. His tone sounded more serious and intrigued rather than the usual condescending ones the bluenette had grown accustomed to.

At that moment, Kuroko realized Akashi was different than the rest.

The teal-haired man didn't exactly knew why but he found it easier to openly talk to Akashi about his current condition. He believed Akashi would be the key for him to return to normal again. "To be exact, every time I lie, I'll lose one of my five senses either touch, smell, sight, hearing or speech."

"Are they temporary?"

"Yes. Ah, it depends on the severity of the lie I tell. The bigger the lie, the longer it lasts."

"....." Akashi stayed silent for a while before speaking, "There's something you're not telling me, my dear client."

Small shoulders tensed up, Kuroko kept mum, unable to say anything in return. Akashi sighed, but didn't bother to question the other man any further. Everyone had a secret or two they wished to keep to themselves. He too, undoubtedly.

Kuroko Tetsuya whom he thought of as a spoiled, snobbish rich brat turned out to be his saviour, who priotize other people's well-being and safety rather than himself. "Give me your hand." Akashi held out his hand to the bluenette, his face turned to the opposite side.  _'Geez, what was he doing right now? Talk about out of character all right.'_

"Eh..?" Kuroko looked around cluelessly.

Oh, right. He couldn't see right now. The redhead tiredly massaged his temple.

"Tch, I said, hurry up and get on your feet." The redhead impatiently pulled the fallen man up on his feet by the wrist and proceeded to walk. He exhaled slowly afterwards before saying the magic word, "...thanks." That one word came out as a very, very quiet and inaudible whisper, Kuroko almost missed it. But, one thing he could detect from it was unbelievably; sincerity.

"Let us return home." Akashi said without looking back. If only he did, he would have seen a blank-faced Kuroko, but with a beautiful shade of scarlet adorning his pale cheeks. Home..? Would he finally have one this time? After all these years of loneliness and solitude?

"Okay..." Kuroko slowly touched his heated cheek with his other hand.

* * *

The walk back home was quiet, but it was the comfortable kind of silence. The two of them found no need to speak or bring up small conversations and were contented to keep to themselves. Akashi's grip on Kuroko's wrist hadn't been released since the detective decided not to do so yet.

It was just a gut feeling, but something told Akashi that Kuroko would disappear like snow under the bright sun if he were to let go of the slender wrist right now.

"Akashi-kun, you're hurting my wrist. Please let go. I can see just fine now..." Finally, Kuroko spoke up and tugged his hand slightly, trying to break free. The fast beating of his heart, the slight churning of his stomach, he felt quite unsettled by them, only because he was not used to such emotions.

Akashi sniggered before adding playfully, "Or are you so flustered right now just from the contact between our skins..?"

"...Yes..." Kuroko flushed pink from Akashi's direct remark. _Even though he knew I couldn't possibly lie._ Kuroko thought begrudgingly. _Ah, but I could just choose not to say anything instead earlier_. He mentally facepalmed shortly after. Akashi secretly stole a glance of Kuroko's face from the corner of his eye as he sensed the other's movements froze for a second.

And there it was, a tiniest hint of red hue dusting the bluenette's white cheeks. Finally, the apathetic man showed a speck of emotion! It's proven now that he was indeed a human, not a robot.

The redhead's hold moved from Kuroko's wrist to his cold hand, their fingers slowly interlocking. "Better?" Asked Akashi, lips twisting into a sly smile. Kuroko said nothing but gripped the detective's warm hand lightly in return, not trusting his answer this time. Akashi made him feel all weird in the inside somehow. He felt an overflowing gush of emotions running wild in his body, wanting to break loose. _What did you do to me, Akashi-kun?_

Kuroko Tetsuya was a godsend gift. Akashi attempted but failed to hide his giddy smile as they continued walking. He had finally found himself a very interesting case to solve this time.

_Kuroko Tetsuya, a man who loses one of his five senses whenever he lies. A condition that defy even logic and science. Such a fine mystery indeed._

_Very well. The game is on!_

**To be continued~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote half of this a while ago and finally got back to it a day ago. God, when I read back what I wrote... -shots self in the head- there were so many cringing worthy moments ahhh forgive me~ Please leave some kudos and comments to stop me from killing myself... :3
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh, before I forget, thank you for the kudos and comments from previous chapter~ :D


	3. Musical Actors' Feud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three things to say:
> 
> 1) Sorry for not updating in so long :3
> 
> 2) Thanks for reading, the kudos and comments (wait, wtf is wrong with my grammar)
> 
> 3) Warning: some swearing and crappy chapter

**Chapter 3: Musical Actors' Feud**

 

They arrived back at 221b later that night. It began snowing heavily outside and the wind began picking up. Akashi wouldn't be surprise if a snowstorm was making its way here.

 

It was already dark downstairs when they entered the house, indicating the old landlady, Momoi-san had already went to bed.

 

On the small coffee table was a tray of a pot of tea and some biscuits with two unused teacups. The tea had long turned cold and the biscuits stale. Kuroko wondered how long the pinkette stayed up just to wait for their return? _I should apologise to her properly tomorrow morning._

 

"Starting from today, you shall be my assistant. And by assistant, I mean cleaning up my bed and bringing me my cup of tea and newspaper every morning. Sweep and dust the house, cooking and other possible chores you could think of." Akashi sat comfortably on one of the armchairs and produced a pipe from the glass case before lighting it up.

 

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

 

Silence for about one and a half minutes. The air was a weighted vacuum.

 

And Akashi broke it first, "Well, I didn't hear a 'yes' from you yet."

 

Kuroko almost roll up his eyes at the ridiculous man. But he refrained. "That's the very definition of a housemaid, Akashi-kun."

 

"So?"

 

"I came here to find a house to live in, I certainly do not recall applying to become the housekeeper." A legit answer, if one might say.

 

Akashi took a smoke from the pipe and slowly exhaled puffs of white smoke into the air, "What if I say it's a requirement for you to become my housemate?" _This way you have no other choice but to say yes, my dear Kuroko._

 

"Then I have to humbly decline your invitation. There should be other houses with an empty room to be rented, preferably one without a strange, insensitive man as a housemate. Farewell then." Kuroko bowed before making his way to the door to leave, his duffle carry bag already in his hand.

 

"...wait." Akashi dropped his complacent face, he honestly wasn't very good at communicating with other people other than himself (basically every walk of life in this world). But he had to make Kuroko stay. He needed to solve the mystery inside of him. He needed to complete the intricate puzzle first. He won't let go of Kuroko just yet.

 

The bluenette leveled his gaze into Akashi's eyes.

 

"I was just. . ."

 

"You were just?"

 

". . .joking." _Now, wasn't that lame? I should have come up with a more believable excuse._

 

"Akashi-kun doesn't look like he's the type to joke around."

 

"Well, it's not wrong to try something new, no?"

 

"Including tricking me into staying here?" Light blue eyebrow raised skeptically.

 

Akashi unwillingly sighed, "Lying to you is not an option, is it?"

 

"No." Kuroko answered rather flatly, but grumbled in the inside. _'Isn't that obvious? And I can hear your thoughts loud and clear, too bad for you!'_

 

"All right, I'll get straight to the point then. I want you..." Akashi, standing abruptly on his feet, placed both hands on Kuroko's small shoulders, and paused for a while. Kuroko's jaw almost dropped.

 

_What in the world-_

 

"...to help me with my investigations."

 

"....Oh." _He meant it that way._

 

Kuroko cleared his throat, "And in what way may I be of any help?" He's the one who can't lie, so wouldn't he be a liability to the detective instead? And as far as he could tell, Akashi-kun still haven't discover his other ability.

 

Kuroko had the ability to read minds. But to be able to do so, he needed to stare right into the person's eyes. Hence, the poker face he'd put on whenever he talk to somebody.

 

It's not easy being him though, because knowing too much restricted his emotions and gestures making him unable to express himself without giving his secret away.

 

Again, he had no clue whatsoever on how and why he'd obtained such power. It was a blessing, but also a curse at the same time. In other words; a curseful blessing.

 

And Kuroko would be the judge in determining whether Akashi sees it as a blessing or a curse, or both. When the right time comes, he'll let the redhead know. Or perhaps that time would never come, who knew.

 

Akashi simpered, "Oh yes, you'll be a fantastic help in many ways, Kuroko. In many, many ways."

 

The doorbell suddenly rang just when the grandfather clock struck twelve o'clock in the morning.

 

"A guest? At this ungodly hour?" Kuroko asked.

 

"No, a client." Akashi put on his trademark smirk, "And it looks like your first case is here!" Proceeding to the door and opening it, Akashi greeted the person standing outside with a cheery smile. "Please, come in."

 

"Thanks, Akashicchi. Aren't you in a good mood today?" A young man with glossy blonde hair shivered coldly as he stepped into the living room which remained as messy as the blond could ever remember.

 

Kuroko stared at the so-called client in awe. _He has such a good-looking face. And a nice build too. Unlike me. . .ah._ The bluenette mildly shook his head, no use getting all gloomy right now.

 

"Kuroko, Ryouta. Ryouta, Kuroko." It didn't take more than five seconds with Akashi's introduction of the two of them. The redhead reseated on the maroon armchair and continued his pipe smoking, "Now, let's proceed to the problem at hand, shall we?"

 

"I see you haven't changed at all since the last time I saw you, Akashicchi."

 

"Enough of the useless catching ups, Ryouta. It's way past my bedtime and I appreciate it if we get this done as soon as possible." Another huff of smoke escaped Akashi's mouth. The room was slowly filled with tobacco smell and poor Kuroko began coughing. He was never fond of the smell of that carcinogenic substance.

 

"Ah, don't tell me, you're not used to the tobacco smoke? Like a true young master indeed." Akashi sarcastically said, half smirking.

 

Kuroko's left eye twitched subtly.

 

The blond sighed, being acquainted with the redhead for quite some time now had him already accustomed to the sociopathic Akashi. Reason being this wasn't his first time coming to the redhead for help. He scratched his cheek sheepishly and try to apologise to the bluenette, "Uh, sorry about that. Akashicchi always been a bit, uh - blunt?"

 

"Like a hammer to the head." Kuroko indifferently commented and Akashi made a disagreeing grunt.

 

The client easily laughed out loud at that. This new guy sure has some guts! He can't say he didn't like that, in fact he respected Kuroko for being able to stand being in the company of Akashi for more than five minutes. Not many could, mark his words for that. "By the way, the name's Kise Ryouta, a musical actor, nice to meet you-ssu!" Chirped Kise as he stretched out his hand.

 

"Kuroko Tetsuya, Akashi-kun's new roommate. Likewise." Kuroko accepted the handshake with the blond.

 

Akashi immediately interrupted, "Move along now, gentlemen, we haven't got all night - or day as a matter of fact. Ryouta, to be honest I already know the reason you're here."

 

Kise smiled as he glanced towards Kuroko and then back to Akashi, "Enlighten us then."

 

The redhead took a sharp inhale of air and spoke in one breath,

 

"You started on a new musical called 'Summer Serendipity' recently and the whole show was a big success, therefore your days of performing had well increased and everything was going so well until... you started receiving strange letters from an anonymous person. And that same person had also incessantly sent bloody packages to your doorstep, with the intention of making you break down from fear. When you decided to ignore them, that person started harassing the people around you and because you didn't want the police to know, you ended up coming to my doorstep in the middle of the night, all restless and looking as pale as if you've just saw a ghost."

 

Akashi summarised everything perfectly and raised a confident eyebrow. "Well?"

 

The actor clapped his hands twice, "Bravo~ amazing deduction as usual, detective. And yes, you're right about everything. As usual..." Kise pouted, feeling very unsatisfied, seriously, was he that easy to read or something?

 

Kuroko tilted his head to one side in wonder. Again... Akashi-kun could either read a person very well or he might as well have Kuroko's psychic powers himself. That would be highly unlikely though so Kuroko opted for the reasonable explanation; Akashi Seijuurou was a very perceptive man, to the point of being frighteningly perceptive, even more than he was.

 

Kise suddenly remembered something and added, "And the things I received from that person include; horrid threat letters, dead carcasses of rodents and strangely enough a bouquet of two dozens red roses. That exact number. Everyday."

 

"Roses?" Kuroko repeated. He may be ignorant when it comes to flower languages but weren't roses supposed to symbolise love and associate with romantic feelings or such?

 

"Red rose is a symbolic of unconditional love while the colour red means an undying passion, a burning desire. Two dozens referred to the number twenty four. Meaning that person thinks of you twenty four hours a day. It could either be intepreted as their overpowering love or. . . deep rooted hatred to you. Take your pick." The detective merely shrugged the peculiarity of it as an unimportant whim of the stalker.

 

"In other words... a typical anti-fan case. Why have you decided to bring such a boring case this time around, Ryouta?" Akashi rubbed his temple, unimpressed. He had solved such cases countless times already, they were not thrilling at all. As the excitement began waning down over time and mostly because it always concerned the same reason over and over; be it revenge-seeking or they're just mental in the head.

 

Kise whined like a cute little puppy (at least that's what he tried to accomplish), "But - but Akashicchi you know why I can't go to the Scotland Yard! You-know-who is right there!"

 

"And who might this you-know-who be?" Kuroko suddenly appeared beside Kise, throwing the blond off balance. "Uwah, Kurokocchi?! Where the heck did you come from!"

 

"I've been here the whole time, Kise-kun." Kuroko directly stared into those enlarged yellow eyes.

 

"R-really?" Kise stammered. "Sorry, that was rude of me." _Holy crap, he has no presence at all..! And I can't tell him I'm dating Aominecchi, a police officer but also - a guy! He'll think I'm gross!_

 

"Not at all." Oh, so that explains it, Kuroko thought. And this was quite an unexpected revelation. Kise-kun likes men then? Even though he had such a handsome face that would make girls fall head over heels in a heartbeat? _I wonder what's this 'Aominecchi' -san is like?_

 

Kise turned to Akashi and 'quietly' whispered (or in other words; couldn't be any more damn obvious about it). 'Akashicchi! Who **_is_** that guy?? He's like a phantom! And you know I hate ghosts..!'

 

"My new assistant. Or if it's something else you wish to know, why not ask the person in question straightaway?" Was all that Akashi's willing to share with Kise. Because he knew nothing of the sky blue haired man himself, apart from how socially reclusive Kuroko was, or how he appeared apathetic most (all) of the time.

 

But, if it's one thing he's sure of, it's the odd 'curse' that had engulfed the unshaken bluenette. Akashi was more than determined to solve the mystery, and, er, heal Kuroko while he's at it of course..! Priorities, priorities.

 

But when Kuroko suddenly tensed up, purposely showing a disturbed face, Akashi knew that the something was wrong. Kuroko whispered and pointed to the window; "Someone's here..."

 

"Who?" Akashi and Kise turned towards the direction of his finger.

 

" _Him._ "

 

A silhouette of a man stood outside, staring hard at the three of them with his deadly silvery orbs glinting in the darkness. Wailing of the winds could be heard from the pipes and the roof clattered.

 

"M-maybe he's lost and, uh, wants to ask for directions..?" Kise nervously laughed, a bullet of cold sweat trickled down his smooth angular face.

 

"But, Kise-kun - isn't this the second floor?" Kuroko reminded the now paled blond. That's right... If this was the second floor, how on earth could the man peered through the window..?

 

Unless he's...floating above the ground..!?

 

The shadow lingering outside grinned widely asudden, the room turned pitch black and chaos ensued soon after - Kise screaming bloody murder and leaping on top of the unsuspecting Kuroko - Akashi, standing behind the bluenette, was slammed to a bookshelf from the impact - followed by books (mostly hard-covered) raining on them and scattered messily to the floor.

 

The man by the window had disappeared.

 

"It's a ghost!! A GHOST-! Hug me, Kurokocchi~~"

 

"You're already crushing me, Kise-kun... Please, release me..."

 

"Stop this foolishness, Ryouta. There's no such thing as ghosts, and I'll prove it to you..!" Akashi unceremoniously shoved the wailing blond and books off of him and ran downstairs to catch the so-called 'ghost'. _Heh, I found out the little trick you used, amateurish stalker!_

 

"Wh-what is Akashicchi on to?? At least I have Kurokocchi with me-" Kise gasped, realising only now that he was hugging air and nothing else. Kuroko was nowhere to be found. "Wha?! Kurokocchi, DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE~~!!"

 

* * *

 

"Heh, that was easy... Think I scared the shit out of that damn blondie enough for him to quit acting...heheh.." A man with short, spiky ash-colored hair whistled smugly, feeling rather pleased with himself just like the cat that got the cream. Getting rid of a hindrance and an eyesore called Kise Ryouta in the world of entertainment was all he could've asked for.

 

"Isn't it a bit too early to be celebrating, Mr.Stalker? Or should I say ex-musical actor, Haizaki Shougo-san..?"

 

A silky voice greeted the unprepared man, startling him out of his wits. "W-who the FUCK are you?!" This Haizaki person turned to the redhead with bulging eyes as large as saucers.

 

* * *

In Akashi's head as he began analysing the background of the perpetrator:

* * *

 

_Haizaki Shougo was a fellow musical actor in the same company as Kise and a senior actor to the blond with an extra year of experience. Soon after the blond emerged into the world of entertainment, all attentions which were previously on Haizaki shifted easily toward the honey-eyed man. Lead roles which were originally his were given to Kise instead._

 

_Woman loved him, man respected him. Everyone adored the goody two-shoes Kise, but Haizaki? Haizaki loathed him. Kise made him sick to the core, not to mention, green with envy and blinded by jealousy._

 

_The hotheaded silver eyed man had been in the news recently where he had been thrown out of the company by the president himself after a strife between him and Kise took place, which almost lead to a messy bloodspill due to the silver's aggressive behavior and vulgarity._

 

_So it wasn't just a simple anti-fan case but with an addition of a bad history plus some petty grounds for vengeance. Akashi remained unimpressed, 'I could live without another one of these clichéd stories in my life, thank you very much...'_

 

-End of analysis-

* * *

 

 

Greyish-white orbs clashed with gold and red ones. "Wait, I know you. You're with that pretty boy just now. The infamous detective who can solve all kinds of mystery, Aka-shit, amirite?" Haizaki guffawed rudely, giving a barking, seal-like laugh but Akashi decidedly heed no attention to his insult.

 

"You're the one who's been sending those threat letters to Ryouta. Using stalking and obsession as means of making him quit. Aren't you quite the charmer?"

 

"Glad to see someone finally _appreciates_ my acting. You assholes are all the same, it's always looks over talent, outer appearance over inner and shit." Haizaki sounded disappointed and sick of it all, with life, with everything. Efforts won't always come with achievements, he learned it the hard way. Therefore, he'll make sure Kise would suffer the same humiliation he felt, by hook or by crook.

 

"Don't think I'll let you get away, Haizaki. I never let criminals escaped before, not once." Pulling another one of his confident (or smartass, according to Aomine) smirks, the redhead steadily approached Haizaki, who had been cornered to a dead end, cul-de-sac.

 

_Not once? Ha, who are you kidding! Did you forget about me, Sei-Juu-Rou~?_

 

An uninvited voice, light-toned but venomous terrorized Akashi's mind, interrupting his thoughts. No other criminal mastermind, no matter how slippery as an eel they were, had ever manage to slip away from his iron grasp, none except _one_.

 

A heinous, sinister young man that went with the codename - Moriarty. In other words, Akashi's worst archenemy.

 

"Oh yeah? Tell me how you're going to prove that, Mr.Second-rate-detective? There's no way you're putting me behind bars without solid evidence." Haizaki made no effort to run away from the approaching redhead.

 

"Evidence? Behind you, perhaps?"

 

"Huh? What the hell are you talking-"

 

"Hello." A male voice greeted the silver from behind.

 

"-?!!" Haizaki almost tripped himself as he saw a glimpse of powder blue hair and matching eyes staring emotionlessly at him, "Fuck, now who's this little shit!?" He roughly tossed his head behind him only to find no one there. "What the fuck..? Where-"

 

Kuroko then appeared from behind Akashi instead. The redhead smiled coyly, "I didn't know you had ventriloquism in your blood."

 

"Well, you didn't ask." Kuroko pulled an innocent face much to Akashi's amusement.

 

Haizaki snapped, "How did you get there, you little fucker..." He could've swore he heard that shorty talking behind his very ears!

 

"Why, the same trick you used minutes ago. Kuroko here was just reenacting it for you." Akashi said.

 

"Heh, sneaky bastards, aren't ya." Haizaki raised an eyebrow in what might have seem to be a mockery.

 

* * *

 

Kise, trembling like a newborn lamb, felt around the carpet helplessly. "T-those two are such meanies... I'm not good with dark places..." The blond pathetically whimpered before he finally decided to call his boyfriend. Shakily selecting the contact, Kise took one final deep breath before tapping the 'Call' icon.

 

The call got through after a few rings. "Hello, Aominecchi?"

 

"....Hey, babe." A deep, low-key voice greeted Kise back and the blond had never felt so relieved to hear his lover's voice again. Rustled noises and shuffled movements could be heard from the other end. Aominecchi must have been sleeping before he called.

 

"What's wrong, Kise? Can't sleep?" Aomine yawned as he asked and by the relentless creaking sound, Kise could tell that the navy blue haired man was sitting up on his bed.

 

"Well, um, you see..." The actor was tongue-tied. Where do he begin? It would seem so obvious he's hiding something from the tanned man if he told him his current location. A strong wind suddenly blew past the house and the windows rattled eerily, catching the frightened blond by surprise.

 

"Eep! Truth is, I went to Akashicchi's house and now I'm all alone and it's too dark to see in here..!" Kise blurted out in one breath out of fear and realising he had sent himself to his own demise, he waited silently for Aomine's reply.

 

"You....what? Babe, don't tell me you're hiding something from me again?" Aomine sounded pissed. Well, he had every right to be so.

 

"Bu-but... I love you too much to let you danger yourself... because of me..." Tears rolled down Kise's face as he admitted the truth. "Please, Aominecchi don't be mad... And I'm so scared right now I don't think I could move." The yellow haired man began crying like a child. He wanted to be with Aomine so bad.

 

Aomine faltered. His anger quickly dissipated. He was weak to Kise's tears and sobs to begin with (except when they're having sex of course, the blond would looked hot af - okay that went to an entirely different direction somehow). As he was saying - the police officer would rather shoot himself in the leg than making his partner cry.

 

"O-oi, Kise c'mon, don't cry, please. Babe, I love you too and I'm not mad anymore okay?" Aomine almost bit his tongue a few times in his attempt to soothe the blond, he was not that good at consoling other people, goddammit. "Hold on a sec, I'll come and pick you up pronto. And don't hang up the phone yet, keep talking to me until I get there, got it?"

 

Kise's sobs slowly died down and were replaced with quiet sniffles. He let out a weak laugh, "Haha, don't be an idiot... I'm not a kid so don't treat me like one!"

 

"Who said anything about treating you like a kid?" Aomine snorted and mischievously added afterwards, "I'm not letting you sleep tonight. Not a wink."

 

"Oh my, Aominecchi is such a pervert~" Kise easily laughed again.

 

"Blame it on my sexy little lover and his erotic moans." Aomine shamelessly replied.

 

"H-hey, I don't moan-!"

 

The floorboard mysteriously creaked behind him and Kise instantly tossed a glance over his shoulder to see a shadowy figure standing directly behind him almost too menacingly.

 

"Who are yo-" Muffled sounds could be heard and Aomine could make up some other incoherent noises before the line went dead.

 

_Click!_

 

_Toot. Toot. Toot._

 

"Kise? Oi, what happen? Kise?! KISE!! Shit!" Pressing the gears hard, Aomine drove like a madman on the slippery road without a care of his own safety. "Fuck, fuck! Kise, tell me you're safe, dammit!"

 

**To be continued...**


	4. Scotland Yard

**Chapter 4: Scotland Yard**

 

_Five years ago…_

_Finally, this time! This time for sure! I finally have you within my grasp, Hanamiya Makoto aka Dr. Moriarty._

_Akashi would finally end this silly cat and mouse chase with the notorious man after almost two years._

_"If I could be assured of your destruction, I would, in the public’s interests, gladly accept my death." Akashi held on tight to the other man, both of them were hanging on air from the tall looming building. The chilling winds brushed against Akashi's cold cheeks and he just let them, not one second did he took his eyes off of 'Moriarty', all cunning-smirks._

_Falling down would cause instant death, the redhead calculated the possibility of surviving such steep fall to be less than point one percent at most._

_"Now, now, aren't you being a little bit too dramatic here, Sherlock-san?" The satirical dark-haired man replied before breaking into a string of guttural chuckles._

_"And I must say, I have no intention of dying yet. And you, my little 'friend', shalt not as well." With that said, the ravenette swung his body like a pendulum, using the momentum to slam hard onto the glass wall and fell inside the building along with the took-by-surprise detective. The shattering noise when the glass broke was ear-splittingly loud but they were music to Moriarty's ears, and the way the broken shards danced in the air mesmerised the beguiling man to no end._

_Both of them rolled on the floor from impact and Akashi finally stopped when his back hit the interior wall with a loud thud. The redhead groaned and shakily stood on his feet after a great while, a few cuts here and there now visible on his body and his face - his goddamn face!_

_'That crazy insane mad psychotic lunatic of a maniac!' Akashi inwardly cursed, redundantly emphasising the madness level of the criminal he sought for so long. No one messes with Akashi's face, not even himself!_

_"Well, Hanamiya-kun. Better say your prayer, goddamn psychopath. If the police didn't catch you first, I might finish you off myself."  Akashi hissed, feeling extremely peeved indeed._

_"Ah, I would love to see you try, dear Seijuurou. Alas, time has come for me to go, so fare thee well~" Hanamiya bowed dramatically before making his exit through the broken window._

_"Wait, you fiend-!" Akashi was about to chase after the escaping man when a chopper suddenly appeared in front of him, blinding him with its bright white lights and deafening sounds of air blades. And there he was, the slippery as eel Moriarty hanging from a rope ladder hanging down from the helicopter._

_"See you around, detective-san~"_

_"WAIT THE FU-" Akashi was a second too late in grabbing the raven's leg as the chopper flew away into the distance._

_"Goddammit!!" He roared in agony into the darkened skies, a few lightnings flashed here and there as if they shared his sentiment._

_And Hanamiya had been on the loose ever since, hiding away from Akashi._

 

* * *

 

Akashi was just about to deduce behind the trick when the phone in his back pocket vibrated annoyingly enough. He cluck his tongue and swiftly fished his phone out to see who the caller was. It read  _Aomine Daiki._ Two pairs of eyes stared expectantly at him. "May I get this? It may be urgent." Kuroko quietly nodded while Haizaki made a grunting noise followed by 'yeah, whatever'.

Swiping the green icon, he placed the phone to the side of his head and dryly asked, "Is it so important to call me just when I am about to apprehend a criminal though as unchalleging as it is now?" 

"Akashi, Kise's been abducted!! He was talking with me on the phone just now when suddenly his line went dead and I heard him struggling with a man but wasn't he with you?? What the hell were you thinking leaving him all alone?!" Came Aomine's panicked voice through the other end and it was so loud both Haizaki and Kuroko could hear every word he said. Eyes immediately fell on the silverette who backed away a bit in defense. Abducted? What the hell was going on?

"Don't look at me, I'm not the culprit." Haizaki snorted, eyes darting everywhere to escape given chance. Sure he did sent out those little threats but that was all. He wouldn't go so far as to actually kidnap the blonde and jeopardize his career.

"Calm down. I may have the perpetrator with me, Daiki. So just wait for me to call you back." Akashi calmly said before ending the call abruptly. Aomine wouldn't be so useful without his rationality. This was why he wouldn't be swayed with such useless emotions to begin with. Love was powerful, true, but also terrifying to point of changing someone for better or worst.

"Now, where were we? Ah, yes. The trick that you used was.... reflection." Akashi said, and Haizaki scoffed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Stop feigning ignorance already, Haizaki-kun. What I meant was you used a giant mirror positioned at the correct trajectory from the window so that when the moonlight shone on it and you were standing in front of it, your reflection was formed by the window, the very silhouette Ryouta just saw." Akashi gave a lengthy explanation, much to Haizaki’s irk.

“What proof do you have sayin’ all that? Think the cops will believe you without any concrete evidence?” The ash-haired man confidently countered, knowing very well how the Yard worked.

“As a matter of fact I do have evidence.” The redhaired detective suddenly said, his tone threatening, much to Haizaki’s surprise.

“Heh, don’t think you can s-scare me so easily.” Haizaki unwillingly stammered, clenching his teeth afterwards. Damn this cocky detective. He absolutely despised the way Akashi made other people dance right into the palm of his hand. It was definitely aggravating, to say the least.

“I have set up hidden surveillance cameras along the street of my house from every angle so I can come up with a video of you doing the deed in a blink of an eye. You best well remember not to mess with the Akashi family. Especially not to me.” Akashi finished his words before smiling dangerously.

Haizaki sneered as he tried to appear calm in front of the two of them, "So what? You're gonna arrest me for some stupid prank?"

"Well, the choice isn't mine to make but Ryouta's. Perhaps he'll be kind enough to let you off with a level 5 fine for stalking according to Section 2A offence. We're talking about £5000.00 here. That or you can spend a few years of your pitiful life in prison." Akashi smirked, pleased to witness the colour slowly draining from Haizaki's smug-ass face.

“Che. Fine, I'll apologise to the blondie. So no police, deal?” Haizaki took out a box of cigarettes from his pocket and roughly shoved one in his mouth before lighting it up.

One of Akashi’s red eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. “How about you just give Ryouta back to us, Mr. Kidnapper?” He asked in the most polite tone he could manage.

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?! I didn't kidnap anyone!” Haizaki hotly retorted, waving his cigar wildly to Akashi’s direction.

“Kuroko.” Akashi turned towards the bluenette. And Haizaki did the same. Their eyes were locked for about three seconds before Kuroko returned his gaze to the redhead. “He's telling the truth. Haizaki-san is not the culprit.” The bluenette finally spoke up after keeping quiet for some time.

Akashi’s eyes slowly widened in disbelief. He half-expected the bluenette to stick his tongue out and say “I'm joking” or somewhere along that line. And in the end, he did not. Well, Akashi suspected as much since Kuroko was not the type to joke around to begin with. But now they had just lost the lead to Kise’s kidnapping. The important evidence proved to be worthless, at least for this particular case.

“So, can I scram now?” Haizaki sarcastically said, blowing angry smoke in front of Kuroko and the bluenette quickly hid behind Akashi’s back. The smell of cigars brought back unpleasant memories within the blue-eyed man although he could not exactly recall what. Almost as if there was a missing piece of him that Kuroko had been striving so hard to find. And he had yet to discover it.

“Yes, go ahead. I have no use for you now.” Akashi stood firm in front of Kuroko, bringing a hand to massage his temple as he recollected all of his thoughts again. At the end of it all, they parted ways with the grey-haired man without so much as to saying goodbyes.

 

* * *

 

Back at their house…

“What are we going to do now, Akashi-kun?” Kuroko quietly asked, he was getting quite worry for his new acquaintance’s safety although he remained expressionless as usual. “Should we report it to the police after all?”

“No, let’s not. I won't have the police hinder us with their unnecessary questions and interrogations.” Akashi objected, puffing out smoke from his pipe at the balcony outside, for Kuroko’s sake - well, if they were going to be housemates in a long term, he had to learn to compromise somehow. “Besides, I have a friend working for the Scotland Yard and believe me, we're better off without them knowing.”

“I see.” Kuroko replied promptly. There was also some truths behind Akashi’s strange way of thinking, he quietly thought to himself.

"The science of deduction is one which can only be acquired through long and patient study. Yet life is not long enough for a mortal to master it, you see, my dear Kuroko." Akashi told the bluenette, he wasn't anywhere near perfection in mastering it, but he believed to be as close as he could possibly be than any other human, having to maximise the capacity of his brain more than anyone would ever have. So what was it? What did he missed?

"Hm," Kuroko hummed, "But sometimes, the heart can see what the eye can't. And the heart can understand what the mind don't. There are times when you'll get so absorbed with one fact, you tend to overlook the other. Isn't this exactly the case right now, Akashi-kun?" The bluenette seemed to be onto something but Akashi was far too distracted to find out what when Kuroko's words replayed inside his head like a broken record player. _-heart can see what the eye can't...the heart can understand what the mind can't-_

And it was in that instant - as it so often is - that a major piece of the puzzle fell into place, as if from the sky - as if the Gods of Deduction had tossed it overboard and let it fall at his feet.

'The two dozens roses! Of course!' Akashi almost smacked himself across the forehead upon his discovery but he didn't of course, with him being against self-harm acts no matter how small. Good grief, why did he not come to this conclusion sooner? The assailant and the stalker were two different people to begin with!

"I know where Ryouta is..! Come, Kuroko!" Akashi suddenly grabbed onto the bluenette's sleeve and pulled him along.

"A-akashi-kun?" Kuroko made an uncomfortable face, not that Akashi could see him anyway, with the Cheshire-grinning redhead facing in front as they slow-jogged to one place not far from their home. "Where are we going?"

"The florist." Akashi smirked, pulling his phone from his coat pocket with his other hand and typing something at the speed of light before sending it to a certain tanned man with navy blue hair.

 

* * *

 

_Tring!_

"Sorry, we're closed for today..." A man with black curly hair in his late twenties spoke from the back of the small flower shop. He was sweating profusely, like he had just came back from a workout.

“Where are you going in such a hurry, if I may ask?” Akashi questioned, mismatched eyes scanning the whole shop for any clue that might help with his investigation. Just then, his eye caught something shining on the ground; it was one of Kise’s ear piercings. Bingo, they were finally on the right track.

I’ve just received a call from my hometown telling me that my mother had fallen sick. So, I'm going back to my family now.” The dark-haired man dutifully explained as he removed his gloves from his hands, his fingers trembled, Akashi noticed. And he also noticed Kuroko sneaking up to the unsuspecting man.

“Excuse me. . .”

“W-what the heck are you doing?!” The flabbergasted man exclaimed when he felt a hand grabbing his arm out of the blue and thus, he finally noticed Kuroko’s weak presence.

“Ah, I apologise. There was some dust on your sleeve just now.” Kuroko bowed apologetically before posing a sudden question to the man, their gazes levelled. “Have you, by any chance met anyone with the name Kise Ryouta today?”

_Good job, Kuroko!_

“N-no..!” The answer came out a bit too quick and timid. “I have heard of him before though…” The lie came out as smooth as a baby’s butt.

‘Yes, of course I know him, I just fucking kidnap him! But, who the hell are these people?! How did they even know we’re here??’ The man berated in his mind.

Kuroko turned to Akashi to secretly inform him only to realise no voice was coming out of his mouth. _Oh dear. I lied just now._ The bluenette helplessly blinked a few times towards the redhead, hoping the intelligent Akashi would be able to solve the mystery behind Kise’s disappearance on his own.

Thankfully, the quick-witted redhead instantly realised what was going on after having grasping the whole situation in the few seconds of silence that befell over them.

_So, Kuroko told a small lie just now when he said there was some dust on the man’s sleeve. And now he can't talk because of the curse._

By then, Akashi came to realise that Kuroko’s mind reading ability comes with a price that might be high depending on the situation. Then, how was he supposed to know where the florist had hidden Kise? It had been almost an hour since he went missing. The kidnapper, the florist presumably, might had taken him someplace else before coming back to the flower shop to dispose of any evidence. And it was not certain whether the blonde was still alive or not. He could only hope - no, he should only think for the best.

_Eye contact? Body language? Think, Seijuurou, think!_

“It’s a yes?” Akashi cryptically asked his new housemate. The question could also be interpreted as ‘He's our guy, isn't he?’.

Kuroko nodded. _Thank goodness Akashi understood me._

And the shop owner intuitively backed away, sensing trouble from his two ‘customers’. There was no way to run or hide with the two of them standing close to him, both were within arms reach. Maybe he could take down the blue-haired guy who seemed weaker than the redhead. And why did the redhead looked so familiar somehow? Have he met him somewhere before? Realisation hit the man soon enough. Why, of course! This pompous-looking redhead was that young conceited detective he kept on hearing about! Damn, had his luck finally decided to run out on him?

“Shinomoto-san.” Akashi read the name directly from the man’s nametag. “Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

The black-haired man hesitantly bobbed his head up and down. “Sure....”

Just then, a lightning struck above them and the place suddenly lost all source of its electricity, leaving them in pitch darkness.

‘I'll kill you right here, Akashi Seijuurou!’

Picking up the man’s malicious thought, Kuroko opened his mouth to warn the redhead only to be reminded that he could not use his voice yet.

_Akashi-kun!_

Without thinking twice, Kuroko immediately stepped between the two men and ended up being the one getting attacked on the head with a flower vase instead. “Kuroko!” Akashi managed to catch the bluenette before he fell to the ground but was slashed by a sharp object on his left arm afterwards. “..?!”

He picked up footsteps running further away from them and heard a door opened from behind them. A secret door! That damn man, Akashi would sure to make him pay for ever hurting both Kuroko and him!

Slumping to the ground with the half conscious bluenette, Akashi carefully pillowed Kuroko’s injured head with his coat and was about to get up when he felt a shaky hand grabbing his wrist.

“A-Akashi-kun… It's too dangerous-” Kuroko began but was cut off by the redhead first.

“Stay here, I'll get help as soon as I catch that madman!” Akashi said, taking one last look at the bluenette, and quickly made his way to the backdoor. The throbbing pain on his arm was not enough to hinder his movements although Akashi feared that the loss of blood might weaken him in approximately twenty minutes time. He just need to hurry then!

“Don’t tell me…” Akashi ran to the back of the store as fast as his legs could carry him. “He's in there…!?” Behind the small flower shop was a glasshouse, that was actually attached to the shop itself with countless flowers blooming inside but what caught the redhead’s attention was undeniably a dome of roses at the end of the luminescent glasshouse.

 

* * *

 

“A-ah, Ryouta-kun, I apologise for the commotion outside just now… I've taken care the unwanted pests already. All they do is get in the way of our love, don’t they?” Shinomoto laughed nervously and inadvertently blushed in front of Kise, who was tied up against the wall of roses by the rose stems, the thorns digging directly into his wrists. The blonde, whose mouth was gagged, muffled incoherent words to the other man and tried to struggle free only to further pierce his skin deeper.

“Mmphff!!”

“Hush, my love. Not too loud…” The florist brought a finger to his grinning lips as he removed the cloth inside Kise’s mouth. “We’ve just managed to escape from that cunning detective and his little friend.” He brought his grimy fingers and trailed them along Kise’s quivering lips before kissing them against the blonde’s will.

“...Please… Let me go…” Tears began to trickle out from the honey brown eyes and he turned away from the sick man, his head filled with nothing but the love of his life. ‘Please save me, Aominecchi.’

The dark-haired man cruelly ignored Kise’s plea and continued on, “And they would just come again and again to separate us… That's why, we both shall die in each other's arms tonight. That way, we’ll be together for eternity, right love?”

Kise stared in horror as the man pulled out a large pair of shears from among the gardening tools kept inside a barrel-like container beside him and aimed the pointy bit towards him.

“I'll see you in the afterlife…”

“Stop, please don't..!”

“No one can get in the way of our love, Ryouta-kun… NO ONE!!!” The hysterical curly-haired man barged towards the bound actor like a mad bull with the shear in his hands.

“NO, stop..!” The flinching Kise clamped his eyes shut, praying that someone, anyone - would save him from the obsessive fan of his who was adamant to commit suicide with him. “Help me..! Aominecchi!”

“Get the fuck away from him, you creepy asshole.” Aomine arrived just in time behind Shinomoto, pointing a handgun to the back of his head, halting his movements.

“Aominecchi..!” Kise cried out and after that broke into relief tears and sobs altogether.

“Drop the scissors. Now.” The tanned man commanded, his expression so dark and grim, it would make any child cry. Furious? Enraged? Those measly words were not enough to describe his feeling right now. In fact, it took every last fiber in his cells to stop himself from ripping the man’s head off as soon as he saw the state Kise was in, tied up, with a few cuts and blood from the sharp thorns; it was downright sickening. The man must die by his hands no matter what.

“Aominecchi, look out!!” Kise’s alarmed voice reached his ears a second too late as the man twisted his body and aimed to stab the policeman instead. Using his quick reflexes, Aomine swiftly shielded himself with his own gun and the clash between the two metals caused the gun to fly out of his hand from the impact and landed not far from him. But Shinomoto did not stop there. Using his own body weight, he directly charged towards Aomine and both of them toppled to the ground due to the  momentum.

“Shit..!”

“Hahaha! Not so tough anymore, are you?” Shinomoto swung the large scissors directly before Aomine’s neck. “Should I slice you up slow in front of your sexy little lover, Aomine Daiki?”

Aomine was taken aback but kept his glare on the mentally unstable man nonetheless. “How the fuck did you know my name? And what the fuck do you want from us, you fucking psycho?” He roared angrily, navy blue eyes filled with nothing but wrath and disgust for the man on top of him.

“I knew everything about you. Cuz I've been watching you and Ryouta-kun for a long long time now. You don't deserve to love him, you're nothing but a brute, a beast!” Shinomoto taunted with a very mad grin on his disturbing face.

“Stop it! You don’t get to talk to him like that!” Defended Kise as he helplessly squirmed among the thorns to break free, not minding the stinging pain as much anymore. All he could care about was saving Aomine and that alone gave him the strength to fight back.

“Daiki..!” Akashi emerged from behind them, holding his bleeding arm tight. “Why, you little-”

“Don't move! Or the cop here gets it..!” The curly-haired threatened, sinking the sharp tool further down Aomine’s neck, ruby red drops of blood trickled down from the cut. “Ah, but I'll kill him anyway~ Bye bye, Dai-chan~ Haha-”

**_Bang!_ **

A gunshot could be heard. And Shinomoto began screaming in pain, holding his leg that had just started to bleed. “AGHHHHH?!”

All three of them turned towards the direction of the gunshot and saw a certain bluenette holding a gun in one hand, leaning against the glasshouse wall and panting slightly.

“Kuroko/Kurokocchi!?” Both Akashi and Kise exclaimed in disbelief while Aomine stared hard at the new character. “Who the hell…? But, thanks, man.” The tanned man quickly overturned their positions so that the writhing Shinomoto was now under him, hands locked behind his back. “You're under arrest, asshole.”

 

* * *

 

It did not take the police and paramedics too long to arrive at the crime scene and Shinomoto was sent away in a police car after having his leg treated while Aomine opted to stay behind to take care of Kise and the rest. The Yard didn't find out about his relationship with Kise, thank goodness.

“You're Kuroko, right? Akashi’s new housemate, so I heard.” Aomine approached Kuroko first after they finished treating the wound on his head. Meanwhile, Kise and Akashi were both being questioned by the police officers and they gladly gave their testimonies.

Kuroko idly felt the white bandages around his forehead and turned his head towards the taller man. “Ah, pleasure to meet you. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya.” He introduced himself and bowed politely, never once forgetting his manners.

“Pleasure’s mine. The name’s Aomine, Aomine Daiki.” Aomine offered his hand for a handshake, noticing how cold Kuroko’s fingertips were in his grasp. But, they were steady and firm, not even trembling the least.

“Was that your first time?” The tanned man asked, referring to the shooting earlier.

“Yes, it was. I apologise for using your gun without your permission.” Kuroko bowed a little. “You had to lie to the other officers just now, didn't you?” A civilian using an officer’s gun, the punishment was not as insignificant as getting a pay cut. It was much more worse and heavier, probably a demotion at most.

“Don't sweat it. Thanks to that, you saved my life. I owe you one, Tetsu!” Grinned Aomine, his expression kind and honest.

“Tetsu…?” Kuroko stared in astonishment (though it did not show) before breaking into a smile too. The man in front of him was certainly a good person, Kuroko could tell that much just by talking to him. “No problem, Aomine-kun.”

“But… You didn't even flinch.” Aomine pointed out, studying Kuroko for a while longer. The pale-skinned man was calm. Even after that terrifying experience where even the actor Kise, who was used to acting in action and thriller movies, was pretty shaken up as well. And he was holding that handgun with only one hand while firing it, almost as if he had used one before, Aomine noted but kept that to himself.

“That was just pure luck, I believe.” The shorter bluenette simply brushed it off with a soft smile so that Aomine had a hard time believing whether he was the same person who just shot a man on the leg a while ago.

‘Who are you… really?’

 

**To be continued…**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - Furious rant incoming: Hey peeps… I do apologise for my extreme tardiness in updating this fic BUT!! I have a very damn good reason why! A few months ago I lost the file for the new chapter that was already halfway done and just when I recovered it a few days ago, the very same file was mysteriously removed/deleted and left my new changes unsaved (at that point I felt like jumping off a cliff srsly) so I had to rewrite everything again but it's just not the same as the first time cuz I have sucky memory that I couldn't even remember what I wrote afterwards OH GOD I'M SO FREAKING STRESSED OUT!
> 
> So there you have it… sorry need to blow off some steam…
> 
> Um, thanks for reading and do share your thoughts with me~ That’ll cheer me up a lot! :3


	5. Meeting Doctor Strange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeyy! So people from FF mentioned that I didn't include the part where Akashi learned about Kuroko's mind reading ability from previous chapters, in which I really did not, unfortunately (silly me!) So here's an edited and updated version of chapter five to fix my stupid mistake lol. Thanks for reading, lovelies~ ♡

**Chapter 5: Meeting Doctor Strange**

“Daiki is quite the character, isn’t he?”

  
Akashi mused all of sudden on their quite walk back home from the police station where they had their injuries temporarily treated.

  
“Indeed he is.” Kuroko nodded in agreement as he pictured a worry-stricken Kise glomping and wailing in the tanned man’s chest.

  
“He’s probably chewing Ryouta’s ears off as we speak.” Came a low but oddly musical-like chuckle from the redhead and Kuroko almost stared in awe. Akashi was a stern and uptight person through and through but the air around him changed a little whenever he spoke of his close... ‘friends’...? His demeanour, or ambience to be precise, lightened up considerably and Kuroko could sense some form of protectiveness radiating from the supposedly sociopath man.

  
And due to this particular reason where Kuroko was a bit taken aback (definitely not enchanted) by Akashi’s sincere laugh, that he ended up blurting something he wasn’t supposed to. “Their personalities clashed but that is one of the signs of a long and healthy relationship."

  
“How did you know that again?” Akashi’s steps came to a stop, and the unaware Kuroko almost bumped into his back nose first.

  
_Ah._

  
Kuroko kept his infamous poker face on, and with a slight tilt of head, he managed out a ‘perhaps from his colleagues just now?’.

  
_Oh no. Wouldn’t that be considered a lie?_

  
True enough, after only a few seconds, Kuroko lost his sense of hearing without Akashi knowing. And to make things worst, he also lost track of where they were and what were they doing as he continued to walk in silence, drowned in deep thoughts to outwit the ever so quick-witted Akashi and his accurate reasoning.

  
Akashi had stopped walking when he saw the pedestrian light turned red, minding his own business when he felt something was not quite right. Glancing to his left, where Kuroko was supposed to be but he wasn’t of course, as the bluenette absentmindedly walked in the middle of the street of fast-moving vehicles and the redhead stared in pure horror as Kuroko literally walked into his demise.

  
“KUROKO!”

  
Thanks to his agility and god-speed reflex, Akashi snatched at Kuroko’s arm seconds before a speeding car could run him over.

  
“What the hell were you doing, sleepwalking??” He reprimanded the dumbstruck man, paralysed from shock and Akashi felt his own lifespan was shortened by ten years from the frightening experience he was to face had he not saved Kuroko in the nick of the time.

  
Kuroko mutely stared back at Akashi, confusion evident on his blank face. Akashi-kun’s mouth was moving and he seemed rather angry but why in the world could he not hear what he was saying? Or rather, he could not hear anything! Not even the cars, the wind, the sounds of life - nothing! His hand automatically moved to his ears, checking them if they were working properly or not. The redhead saw this and instantaneously figured the whole situation out. Well, both of them did in this case.

  
“You lied just now. Ah, you can’t even hear me...” Akashi sighed heavily, puffs of cold air escaping from his mouth as he did. “But you can definitely understand me.”

  
Akashi now knew the extent of Kuroko’s ability, although not fully comprehending it. They were pretty similar in the way they looked at things. Kuroko had basic knowledge of lip reading and his observational skills were that of high quality.

  
“You’re hiding something from me.”

  
It was a statement, not a question.

  
Kuroko decidedly feigned ignorance but Akashi wasn’t one to give up so easily.

  
“Again.” Akashi’s mouth moved again and even this time the bluenette knew what he was saying. That he was hiding something from Akashi-kun. Again.

  
Kuroko unconsciously blinked twice. It always happened when he faced difficult situations that placed him in a tight spot. And he knew he shouldn’t show any of his habits or traits that could easily be picked off by the incredibly perceptive Akashi.

  
“You wouldn’t know it for yourself unless Ryouta or Daiki had ranted it out to you which I’m sure they didn’t, and I, myself, did not recall telling you about them. Which means...”

  
“Which means...?” Kuroko weakly replied – he gave up. Hiding his other ability from Akashi was not an option to begin with. He simply couldn’t, wasn’t allowed to.

  
“You read people’s minds, shame on you.” Akashi harshly remarked but by then Kuroko had already learnt not to take every single word coming out of Akashi’s mouth to heart. Else he’d ended up with a hypertension diagnosis by the end of the day. Akashi’s straightforwardness did that to people.

  
In the end, the bluenette admitted the truth to the redhead, albeit reluctantly. “Yes.”

  
“I’m right, unsurprisingly. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? This has something to do with your ‘curse’, no?"

  
Kuroko lightly bit his lower lip before answering, “I find it uncomfortable myself. Every time I look into someone’s eyes, I’ll end up reading their mind, subconsciously, no matter how hard I try to resist.”

  
Akashi took one big step closer to the flabbergasted man and roughly ruffled the soft blue hair. “Are you boasting right now?”

  
“!”

  
Kuroko made a horrified face on the spot, and Akashi, caught off guard by the bluenette’s rather comical expression, laughed spontaneously.

  
“Your expression screamed, ‘of course not!’ Am I right?” Akashi bent closer so that the bridges of their noses almost touched. “Reading minds? I could easily figure out what you’re thinking in a blink of an eye whenever I wanted to. The only difference between you and I is that I have the power to control it and you don’t. Jealous yet?”

  
_If it means having a rotten personality like yours, then I would have to politely decline, thank you very much._

  
Kuroko internally said as to test how far could the redhead read him and when Akashi looked as if he had just been slapped hard across the face, his mood slightly improved.

  
Akashi kept quiet but locked eyes with Kuroko nonetheless, expecting the other to read his mind this time.

  
_Aren’t you being a little too harsh with your words, Kuroko?_

  
“Never as harsh as yours, Akashi-kun. Your words are so sharp, they could easily slice an elephant’s bone into two.”

  
Akashi retracted his steps again so that the distance between him and the surprisingly sharp-tongued psychic increased.

  
“You never failed to impress. _Tetsuya_.”

 

* * *

 

Two days had passed since the case of Kise’s abduction. And Akashi wasn’t amused in the slightest. Due to the knife wound he received on his left arm which was deeper than he’d originally thought, the young detective couldn’t even get on with his daily routine properly without being accompanied with a sharp pain every time he moved his arm.

  
“Boredom. The state of being bored, or in other words, being weary and restless through lack of interest.” Akashi started all of a sudden, breaking the peaceful silence between them that Kuroko had just come to appreciate.

  
“......”

  
The redhead’s face fell a little when he didn’t receive any response (although that was to be expected considering this was Tetsuya after all).

  
“I’m so bored. My good ol’ Tetsuya, do something to entertain me, will you?” Akashi said through muffled voice. He was lying face down on the couch with his injured arm situated a bit higher from the rest of his body, on a comfy velvety pillow, to be exact.

  
Kuroko was sitting on the single sofa opposite of Akashi, with a hardcover book in one hand, occasionally turning the pages in silence.

  
“Tetsuya... Hey, you can hear me, right? Earth to Tetsuyaaaa...”

  
And thus, began Akashi’s silly little harassment or if Kuroko were to describe it more correctly; noise pollution.

  
“Tetsuya. I’m talking to you here.”

  
“......”

  
“Ignoring an injured person, how heartless of you.”

  
“.......”

  
“I didn’t know you could be so unaccommodating... How disappointing.”

  
That seemed to be the last straw there and then when Akashi saw the bluenette slowly shifting his attention to him.

  
Sighing, Kuroko closed the book before placing it by the small coffee table and finally eyed the other man with a blank expression. “Why should I again? I am here as your housemate, not for your personal entertainment.”

  
“Might as well do something together to deepen our bond as fellow bachelors sharing the same house, no?” A thin smile crossed the redhead’s lips before he winced in pain when he accidentally put a strain on the bandaged arm.

  
“Ouch-!”

  
“Are you all right?” Kuroko unconsciously moved to Akashi’s aid albeit knowing very well the man required no such assistance. All thanks to his body which reacted quickly before his mind could even process the thought.

  
Akashi stifled a laughter at the back of his throat.

  
“Say, Tetsuya. Could you be one of those... _dishonest-with-their-feelings_ type of people? In actuality, you were worried about me, weren’t you?”

  
For a split second, Kuroko looked as if someone had pricked his butt with a sharp needle, his eyebrows scrunched a little into a frown. “Excuse me?”

  
Akashi-kun was indeed testing his patience, limitless as it may seemed.

  
“Hn, am I wrong?” Akashi kept a straight face as soon as their eyes met. Kuroko felt strangely disconcerted to answer the man. Why did it felt like Akashi was the one possessing the ability to read minds and distinguish between lies or truths – wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

  
“No.” That one word finally rolled off of his tongue. Bitter and a hint of resentment.

  
“You don’t sound too sure yourself now.” Akashi made a remark, that signature smirk of his remained for the bluenette to see. “And this, does it still...hurt?”

  
The redhead nonchalantly touched Kuroko’s bandaged head and trailed his fingers along the tufts of blue hair and noticed Kuroko’s subtle flinching when he grazed an ear in the process.

  
“Shielding me with your own body, such heroic acts.” Akashi kept feeling his fingers along the rough texture of the bandage material, his ring finger came into contact with Kuroko’s ear the second time and yet again, the flinching.

  
_Ah, are you sensitive there?_

  
“I’m fine now, Akashi-kun. And stop touching my hair.” Kuroko slowly took the redhead’s hand away from his head.

  
_And you’re mad at me right now. Or rather, irritated?_

  
Akashi smirked. What was it that made him so giddy, so fluffy-headed all of a sudden? Was it because of the meds? Was it his horrifying boredom? Or was it simply because of Kuroko Tetsuya, himself?

  
“Can you not just converse normally?” Kuroko commented in a flat tone but Akashi could very well see a vein popping on his face.

  
“But, you’re enjoying our strange way of communication nonetheless. I’m the only one who could match your mind reading ability, no?”

  
Akashi-kun is so full of himself... Kuroko silently thought to himself, his body still leaning slightly towards the redhead in his attempt to support the injured man. And before he could distance himself, the doorbell rang twice.

  
“Coming~” Momoi, who was doing the dishes in the kitchen (and definitely not eavesdropping on the two grown men’s silly little bicker), scurried down the hallway not long after, wiping her hands on the soft pink apron she was wearing.

  
“Yes?” The elderly woman greeted the guest with a kind smile.

  
“Good afternoon, ma’am. I came to visit a man by the name Akashi Seijuurou?” A tall person with noticeable green hair and matching emerald eyes politely inquired as he pushed the black thick-framed spectacles up the bridge of his nose in an unusual way, using his middle finger instead. His left hand was neatly taped so that the white bandage wound around his fingers except for his thumb.

  
“Oh my, Akashi-kun is not in a very good condition right now. May I ask who’s visiting?” Momoi return the question with another question, a kind but worry smile graced her wrinkled face.

  
“Ah, not to worry. I am his personal physician, Midorima Shintarou nanodayo.”

 

* * *

 

_Back in the living room:_

  
“Tetsuya. Teach me how to be invisible.” Akashi, who was now sitting straight on the couch, grabbed unto Kuroko’s arm without hesitation. “Or better. Hide me.”

  
The bluenette blinked a few times, clueless. “Akashi-kun, what are you going on about-”

  
“It’s no use, Akashi. I’m already here.” The green-haired man entered the living room, which was surprisingly tidier and presentable the last time he had been there. What had possibly took over the intelligent but disorderly redheaded man?

  
“And who are you talking to? Don’t tell me you hit your head somewhere as well?” Midorima scanned the room once with his eyes and saw no one but the detective.

  
“Heh, did I now? Watch what you’re saying from now on, Shintarou. Wouldn’t know who might be listening at the moment.” Akashi made a point to glance at his left the same time Midorima approached him. And immediately the man bumped into something.

  
“Ow.”

  
“Huh?! Who is it-“ The startled doctor whipped his head left and right in utter disbelief.

  
“Um. I’m right here...” Kuroko lightly tapped at Midorima’s forearm and the greenhead shot backwards in alarm.

  
“AH..!”

  
_Who? What? Where!_

  
The aghast Midorima took a few minutes of scanning around the living room for the owner of the monotonous voice he’d just heard but to no avail. He could see no one! And the redhead did nothing to help but just observed him from the side-lines in amusement.

  
‘Ah, this is quite a sight...’ Akashi kept a chuckle from escaping, his crooked finger on his quivering lips. Midorima, the ever so stoic and serious person, was seriously flipped out right now.

  
“A-Akashi, have you angered the gods of luck or something..?” The greenette asked, emerald orbs still furiously darting around the room. Kuroko stood in his spot completely still, his face remained blank, making the redhead wondered if he did that on purpose or not.

  
“Shintarou, meet Tetsuya. My new housemate.” Akashi finally intervened, much to Midorima’s bewilderment. Only when he pulled up an arm by his side did the doctor saw the third person.

  
_Tetsuya?_

  
He was pale-skinned, not in a sickly pale way, but just a very fair complexion kind of way, with two large clear icy blue eyes, as if they could stare straight into his very soul, soft powder blue hair with slightly long bangs that covered his matching eyes (and the obvious white bandage wrapped around his head) and a small stature where Midorima could easily tower over him from the height difference.

  
“Pleasure to meet you. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya.” Kuroko executed his polite greeting without error and slightly bowed his head.

  
_Japanese etiquettes?_

  
The question automatically popped in his head.

  
“That’s correct. The nanny who used to take care of me is a Japanese woman.” Kuroko monotonously replied, his face once more was void of emotions but Akashi could just see his facial expression softened in remembrance of his caretaker.

  
_Wait, did I just said that out loud?_

  
Midorima stared back, feeling rather confused now. Clearing his throat and turning away a little from the bluenette, he promptly introduced himself. “Midorima Shintarou. Blood type B, horoscope Cancer. What’s your blood type and horoscope, if I may ask?”

  
“My blood type is A and my horoscope is Aquarius.” Kuroko dutifully answered although slightly perplexed at first by the bespectacled man’s unusual questions. Didn’t they always went for the more norm questions, like age or occupation etc?

  
“You don’t have to answer him so seriously, Tetsuya. And Shintarou, don’t start with your preposterous horoscope readings now.” Akashi sat cross-legged on his couch again, sighing a little from the strain he had put on his left arm. “You’re going to say something like A-type like him and B-type like you won’t get along and that Aquarius is placed in last place today, his lucky item being...hmm, let’s see, a Siberian husky keyring?”

  
“You and your unnecessary deductions again. Yet everything you say just now is spot on. As usual.” Midorima said incredulously, and he made a habit of pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again. “Never mind that... you already knew the reason why I’m here, don’t you?”

  
Akashi lightly shook his head, his free hand playing with the few strands of red hair straying to his mismatched eyes.

  
“No. I’m not the one with the mind-reading ability here.” The redhaired detective said in deliberation.

  
“Huh? What are you talking about.” Midorima shot a suspicious look to the cryptic redhead.

  
“Akashi-kun...” _Not another word._ Kuroko’s eyes flashed briefly and in that short moment, Akashi clearly received the message.

  
_Why not, seeing you all flustered is, without a doubt, amusing._

  
“Ah, Midorima-kun, please have a seat.” Kuroko politely offered shortly after in his attempt to change the topic.

  
“But of course. Sit down, Shintarou. It’s a new case this time around, yes?” Akashi cracked his knuckles and licked his upper lip gleefully. “One that even the most ingenious doctor there is fail to solve? Don’t tell me-”

  
And immediately Kuroko turned to face Akashi, with a slight disparaging look in his eyes. _Didn’t the doctors said you need at least a week’s worth of rest, Akashi-kun?_

  
Akashi stared back with the same intensity, knowing fully well the consequences of disobeying the petite but surprisingly fierce bluenette. Kuroko was one of those people who rarely get angry but when they do, let's just say they were the least pleasant person on Earth you wouldn't want to mess around with.

  
_I’ll be alright._

  
“Somehow, I feel like I’m being left out nanodayo.” Midorima suddenly interrupted, feeling the atmosphere between the allegedly housemates changed subtly.

  
“Nonsense, Shintarou. And the case? Give me exactly three words.” The redhead resumed his interrupted sentence and Kuroko didn’t bother saying anything else.

  
Pushing his glasses up, Midorima spoke completely deadpanned, “Zombie corpse bride.”

  
A wide, toothy grin slowly crept across Akashi’s face.

  
“Interesting.”

  
**To be continued~**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bringing this dead fic back to life lol. Hope everyone’s been doing fine! I lost the will to write this story after entering second year but thankfully some ideas decided to come around during my free time so there you have it – a new chapter! :D


	6. Deadly Vow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Missed me? Been ten thousand years I know. I sort of lost the motivation for this fic along with my other Akakuro fic but I had a sudden struck of inspiration and I will complete this story no matter how long it takes so rest assure. As an apology – here’s some smutty fluffy smut for your eyes to feast ^^

**Chapter 6: Deadly Vow**

  
“Nothing seems to be particular life-threatening about your wound, Akashi.” Midorima stated as he examined and cleaned the slightly large gash before re-bandaging it. “But, you mustn’t put so much strain on it, _nanodayo_.”

  
“As if I didn’t know that, Shintarou. I’ve been waiting at home like an obedient dog for two days – _two whole uneventful days_!” The agitated redhead retorted, almost like a child throwing a tantrum for being grounded. “My mind was about to explode if you didn’t come and bring me a new and interesting case when you did.”

  
“Some things never change, do they?” Midorima lightly sighed with a hidden smile as he reminisced the first meeting he had with the eccentric detective about ten years ago. “Honestly, I tire of seeing your face day in and day out ever since middle school.” Well, he could be dishonest with himself sometimes.

  
“Oh, the feelings mutual, don’t worry about it.” Akashi smirked as he relaxed his back against the soft pillow. Midorima was one of the few acquaintances (he never use the word ‘friend’) that Akashi had granted the permission to be comfortable with and that included any kind of treatment by the stoic doctor, nice or bad.

  
Midorima began packing his medical instruments and whatnots in his black leather briefcase before nodding tersely to his stubborn patient as he walked out of the bedroom to find a certain bluenette sitting on the sofa, his back completely leaned against it and an opened book on his lap.

  
“Kuroko..?”

  
The bluenette didn’t reply and continued to doze off, his head nodded lightly once in a while.

  
“You’re going to catch a cold if you continue to sleep here.” The horoscope believer purposely cleared his throat when Kuroko didn’t respond to him. And the said man didn’t even stir from the noise let alone open his eyes. Looking back at the small framed man, Midorima was suddenly overcame with the need to protect.

  
_He’s so small._

  
All of sudden, Akashi appeared into the living room and saw the sleeping Kuroko. “Again. You need to stop sleeping anywhere anytime you can, Tetsuya.” He quietly approached the man and lightly ruffled the pastel blue tufts of hair with his uninjured hand. “Mind helping carrying Tetsuya to his bedroom? He’s a deep sleeper and won’t wake up until the next morning otherwise.”

  
Midorima stared for a while longer before doing as instructed. And as he lifted Kuroko up, the thought crossed his mind once more.

  
_Ah, he really is small. And light._

  
“You’re thinking how small and light he was just now, weren’t you?” Akashi let out a small chuckle when he saw the bespectacled man flinched on his spot. The man really did have a soft spot for small defenseless animals and the bluenette perhaps passed as a small kitty in his eyes. “Relax, I won’t spill it to Tetsuya. Yet.”

  
“Hey...!”

 

*

 

  
After properly tucking the bluenette under the covers, both of the men quietly exited his bedroom and Akashi was about to leave when the doctor suddenly opened his mouth and asked, “How long have you known Kuroko again?”

  
“Hm? What’s with the sudden pique of interest? You’re making me jealous here.” A red eyebrow raised inquisitively. Now, _this_ was interesting. The green-haired doctor never as much as given a second glance to people he held no interest in but he’d admit how sharp the man could be at times. Perhaps he sensed something special about the frail-looking bluenette. “I’ve known him for exactly a week, fifteen hours, thirty-six minutes and ten seconds now. Does that answered your question?” Akashi answered truthfully without even taking a peek at the grandfather clock across his living room which surprisingly was in a neat condition all thanks to the clean freak Kuroko.

  
“More than enough _nodayo_.” Midorima scoffed and he made a point to roll his eyes in distaste, carefully concealing his initial shock. Now, now, what kind of a man was Kuroko Tetsuya to have the disagreeable Akashi Seijuurou warming up to him so soon? Unless... unless, there was more to Kuroko than meets the eye?

  
“I’ll be going then. Send my regards to Kuroko.” The bespectacled man said with a small nod, this time ready to leave the house and further research the peculiar case of a corpse bride.

  
The redhead sauntered back to his own bedroom after bidding the doctor farewell. “See yourself to the door, Shintarou. _Bonne nuit et de beaux rêves._ ”

  
Midorima lightly shook his head and afterwards replied, “ _Et toi aussi_.”

 

* * *

 

 _'Ku...ro...ko...'_ _He glanced back to see a dark shadowy figure trying to reach him with its abnormally long fingernails so he ran. He ran and ran and even tried screaming for help but nothing came out. His voice? Why was it gone? Did he lie?_

  
_‘Yes, you did!’ Another figure, face masked in nothing but black, pointing an equally black shadowy finger at him in accusation. It was speaking. Speaking in his mind._

  
_“I did..?” He asked back inside his head._

  
_‘You did! You did!’ The voice echoed, louder and louder it got until he fell down on his knees, clutching his head while trembling like a leaf. It hurts. Please stop._

  
_“B-but...why would I lie..?”_

  
_‘Because you’re a liar..! You’re a liar..!’_

  
_“No..!”_

  
_‘You are! You are! You are!’_

  
_“I’m not... I’m not I'm not I’m not!!”_

  
_‘LIAR!’_

  
.

  
.

  
.

  
“I’M NOT!” Kuroko woke up in a dark room on his own bed, face drenched in sweat and tears, his whole body shaking still from what he could only call a terrible, terrible nightmare. A few knocks came on his door almost immediately and Kuroko weakly wiped off his tears and sweat that trickled down his face, “Y-yes..?”

  
“Are you alright, Tetsuya?” Akashi stood outside his bedroom, his shadow lurking on the crack of light beneath the door, sounding as if he just woke up from sleep.

  
_Yes_. He was about to answer that when he recalled his disturbing dream seconds ago. He was far from alright and the sudden urge to break down and cry was overwhelmingly strong. Dare he lie this time? Or would he confide to the redhead, a kind man deep inside that cynical personality?

  
“A..Akashi-kun...” He started, choking back tears from falling but failed when a few sobs escaped his quavering lips. _Help me. Please._

  
“I’m coming in, okay?” Akashi spoke again, it almost sounded like a request, and he took Kuroko’s silence as a yes, creaking the door slightly to find the man sitting on the bed, hugging his knees close with tears streaming down his smooth cheeks. He didn’t realise how quick he went and brought the bluenette in his arms, cradling his head close to his chest. He didn’t even knew why Kuroko was crying but seeing him in such state sent a pang to his icy heart. It was unheard of, absurd, ridiculous even. For Akashi Seijuurou to experience such fickle human emotions he thought he had discarded long ago.

  
But... But, it wasn't all that unpleasant. In fact, it wasn't unpleasant at all.

  
_He intrigues me._

  
One more look at Kuroko’s vulnerable lithe self, his beautiful tear-stained face, his trembling eyelashes and rosy pink lips reconfirmed his original thought.

  
_He really does intrigues me._

  
“Tetsuya...” Akashi whispered as he gently lifted the bluenette’s chin with a hand and the other settled firmly on the thin waist and only then did Kuroko realised how proximate their bodies were. The warmth of Akashi’s body seeped through his own through where their skins contacted. It sent a tingly fuzzy kind of feeling straight to his heart which started to beat a tad faster. “...?”

  
Sky blue eyes looked up to be met with mesmerising heterochromatic eyes that shone brighter than the full moon behind him. And he blushed, thinking how handsome the person in front of him was. Akashi was sort of like a beautiful dark-winged angel, and Kuroko wouldn’t mind be swallowed by such a being. Unconsciously closing his eyes, he waited for the man to take him.

  
A wider than usual smile graced Akashi’s lips and he leaned closer, two moist lips joined together, sharing a slightly salty kiss that tasted intoxicatingly sweet to both. Without a warning, the redhead pushed him down on the bed, hands started wandering inside his night wear and Kuroko squeaked out of surprise at first but shakily followed suit. And he had long stopped sobbing, slowly but surely, he was melting directly underneath the experienced redhead.

  
Akashi carefully slipped his hand inside Kuroko’s shorts, expecting a cute reaction from the shy virgin but when it didn’t come, he looked up to see the exhausted man was already sound asleep. “....” He stared for a while before breaking into a chain of chuckles, long and unforced. It was a first. A first someone slept in the middle of sex with him. “You’re an enigma, Kuroko Tetsuya.”

  
_How intriguing indeed._

  
*

  
Midorima stared a little while longer at the specimen under the microscope. The blood of a victim aged twenty-six, Loretta Louis, who was found dead in her own house wearing a white dress for her upcoming wedding scheduled next week. She was shot straight to the heart and died out of blood loss.

  
The mystery started when someone saw her roaming the street with a bloody red dress right after her death supposedly and her body went missing from the crime scene at the same time.

  
Nothing was out of the ordinary that could led her coming back to life judging from her blood cells. But the count told him something different. The woman suffered from leukaemia, and didn’t have long to live.

  
Did the future husband somehow knew of this? Loretta came from a wealthy family and possessed quite a fortune to add. Was this a regular planned murder by the future husband, a Japanese man called Himuro Tatsuya? Unlikely. The man was a fellow doctor such as himself and his family was already well-off as well.

  
“Shin-chan, here’s your coffee!” A smiling man with raven-coloured bangs parted in the middle entered his lab with a tray of coffee. Takao Kazunari was his subordinate, a lab assistant at the Midorima Pharmaceutical Co. Laboratory. Their personalities were the total opposite but perhaps that was the reason why they could get along so well.

  
“Thanks.” Said the greenhead without even looking at the ravenette as he fixed his gaze on the blood cells. Takao huffed in dissatisfaction, crossed with the lack of attention from his superior slash lover. “Shin-chan’s so cold~ you’ve been working on the same case for hours now, is it Akashi’s orders or something? That you don’t even have time for me?” he pouted almost too cutely, unaware that the bespectacled man was eyeing him from the corner of his eyes.

  
Takao was just about to stomp out of the lab after his partner didn’t say anything when a hand snatched his arm and roughly pushed him down on one of the benches for lab work. “No time for you? Whatever nonsense are you spouting _nanodayo_?” Midorima chuckled softly as he stole a kiss on Takao’s plump lips before prodding his tongue inside and it messily tangled with Takao’s into a wet slippery kiss. “Sh-Shin-..han..” slurred the ravenette after a few minutes, whose face was as red as a tomato, when he wound his arms around Midorima’s neck seductively.

  
When they pulled back, a thin string of saliva trailed their lips. There was a raw lust in Takao’s eyes that begged for more and the doctor felt his reasoning slowly slipping away from him. “M-More...please...” Takao mewled like a cat in heat, lightly clawing his back indirectly on his white coat.

  
“...we don’t have much time...” His raspy voice reaching the reddened ear and Takao flinched easily at every syllable. “Give it to me... Shin-chan...” The ravenette impatiently said, grabbing his hand and boldly brought it to his crotch. “Are you gonna put it in or not?” He continued to taunt and eventually the taller of the two gave in.

  
Midorima slowly took his glasses off before settling it on the bench above Takao’s head, lips twisted into a dangerous smirk. He roughly pushed the smaller man on his back and the ravenette shivered pleasantly in front of him. “I will.” Slender fingers nimbly unzipped the pants and snaked into the black underwear, stretching a condom on the rock hard penis and afterwards straight to the butthole before massaging it. “You’re already this loose? Did you play with yourself before coming here?”

  
Takao nodded, whimpering a little when two fingers slid easily into his wet entrance. “I-I did... while making the coffee just now...” His back arched a little when another finger probed inside, deeper and deeper they went, wet squelching noises soon filled the small space.

  
“How shameless. What a lewd boy you are, Takao...” Midorima said, his warm breath reaching the ravenette’s nape of neck, sending goosebumps crawling on his blushing skin. “Shin-chan... I can’t...” Takao moaned loudly when a finger hit his sweet spot, a hand scrambling for the greenhead’s hardened and bulging member inside his black slacks, situating it near his butthole. “Shove it in already..!”

  
Midorima grunted low as he pushed deep inside in a single thrust, sending the ravenette squealing from both pain and pleasure mixed together. “Oh..god! So d-deep..!”

  
“Don’t bite your tongue, love.” The greenhead slipped two fingers in Takao’s mouth to prevent him from hurting himself by clenching his teeth so hard. “Deep breaths. Breathe deeply.” He wasn’t a doctor for nothing and perhaps that was why the ravenette loved him so much. One last thrust and both of them ejaculated at the same time, hot sperm spurted and was safely caught by the rubber and not on the bench where they work. Gasps and pants slowly subsided after a while and the greenhead was the one who stirred up first.

  
“Satisfied? I’ll have to punish you later when we get back home.” Midorima pulled a tissue or two and began wiping Takao’s messy front and his own while the ravenette laid on the bench in daze. “Yes..sir...”

  
_**To be continued...** _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Akashi said to Midorima in French - Good night and sweet dreams where he replied - You too


	7. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi and Kuroko's temporary fallout. A mysterious person trailing over the two. And the secret behind the mystery is..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Million thanks for the warm welcome and awesome comments ^^ but yeahhh please bear with this chapter since it’s kind of all over the place and uhh ask away if anything’s confusing you! Thanks again dear lovelies xoxo

** Chapter 7: Change**

 

Pastel blue eyes fluttered a few times before opening fully. Kuroko let out a tired yawn and rubbed his eyes sleepily when he realised something or someone was on the bed with him. Clear blue orbs widened by a tiny fraction before studying the face sleeping next to him quietly. “Akashi-kun?” His eyes travelled down his body which was surprisingly bare of any thread and the bluenette unconsciously gulped.

  
_He’s not wearing anything under the sheets..? Oh wait, his shorts are still on. Too bad._

  
_..? Too bad?_

  
Kuroko vigorously shook his head which was full of untamed bed hair and the bed lightly shook as well in the process, waking a certain redhead up. “...Tetsuya..?” Was what Akashi said first thing as he blinked his mismatched eyes open, voice still deep and throaty. And Kuroko found himself staring at quite the sight in front of him; Akashi stretching his perfectly toned muscles, arms lifting above his head, revealing his equally sturdy chest so he had to peel his gaze away before the man could catch him staring. Heat slowly rose to his face turning it into a bright pink colour.

  
“What are you doing in my bedroom – on my bed to be precise?” Kuroko asked impassively, now sitting upright on the bed and only then did he noticed something was amiss. The buttons on his shirt had become undone and he instinctively covered his chest while whipping his head towards the redhead so fast it hurt a little. “ _What_ have you done to me?”

  
“ _What_ you say? Do you not remember what happened last night?” Akashi calmly rested a hand under his chin as he faced the bluenette, his sharp gaze could almost pierce straight into his heart and Kuroko unconsciously gripped his left chest.

  
Last night. _Last night_... What had happened last night? Kuroko cocked his head to one side, concentrating his mind into remembering. He seemed to have fallen asleep on the couch if he recalled correctly but ended up waking on his bed this morning. He couldn't remember anything else so maybe nothing did happen after all? “No, I can’t seem to recall anything. Did we do something last night?” he innocently enquired and Akashi slowly lost his cool demeanour, his face went blank, there was a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

  
_‘You don’t remember, really?’_ Heterochromatic eyes stared straight into genuinely confused sky blue ones.

  
The bluenette shook his head, loosing his grip on his now crumpled shirt. _‘I really don’t. Must I remember?’_

  
_‘Up to you.’_ Akashi immediately broke eye contact before jumping off the bed and exited the room without saying another word, leaving an even more perplexed bluenette with a hand halting on air.

  
_It’s fine if he doesn't remember. Better even! Then, why did it stings somewhere in my body when he said that? Didn’t I touched him only because he struck me as peculiar to begin with? Nothing less, nothing more?_

  
What Akashi refused to admit was that his pride may had hurt a little. In all his experiences with countless women back in the past, not once did they refused his advances and even begged for more afterwards. Were his kisses _that_ bad that Kuroko, a virgin at the age of twenty-five, couldn’t even remember them sharing one?

  
The redhead marched to his own room, ignoring Momoi’s chirpy ‘good morning!’ completely, too absorbed in his own thought process and any logical explanation behind Kuroko’s lost memory of last night’s incident. Did he really didn’t remember? Or he pretended not to, and lied? There was only one way to find out. He made his way back to where the bluenette was.

  
Meanwhile, back in Kuroko’s room, the man pondered for a few seconds more as to why the redhead suddenly stormed out of his bedroom and whether he did something to him last night. Up to him? How was he supposed to interpret whatever it was just like that? Asking the only man who knew in the nearest time might not be such a good idea though.

  
Just then, someone rapped at the door loudly, startling the bluenette. “Tetsuya, get ready in five- fifteen minutes. You’re coming with me to today’s investigation.” Came Akashi’s muffled voice from the other side of the door, there was a slight bitterness in his tone too.

  
“Alright, I’ll get ready soon.” The bluenette replied, oblivious of the other’s true intention. Unbeknownst to him, the redhead nodded his head in satisfaction, partly relieved to know Kuroko still retained his sense of hearing and speech. Three more to go then to unveil the truth.

 

* * *

 

  
Kuroko could see just fine, Akashi concluded when the bluenette walked downstairs without stumbling into anything and could directly make eye contact with him as well. Not to mention, he still had his sense of touch as well as the bluenette flinched in pain when a splinter accidentally got into his skin from the wooden door. How it happened? God knows.

  
And Momoi-san practically jumped to his aid seconds it occurred while the redhead didn’t even bat an eyelash or even throw one of his nasty remarks like he always do, leaving the bluenette even more puzzled by his behaviour.

  
In the end, the two men bid their landlord goodbye and were well on their way to Loretta Louis’s mansion, the crime scene to be exact. Akashi glanced beside him after confirming the man wasn’t looking and studied the bluenette who was pacing ever so slowly still with a blank expression but he noticed a subtle difference. And was it just him or did Kuroko seemed a little tensed than usual? He was planning on giving the bluenette the silent treatment (Akashi was a lot more childish then he thought he was) but in the end decided not to, seeing how off he acted.

  
“Hey, you’re not going to step on that, are you now?” Akashi pulled at his arm almost too roughly and Kuroko winced in pain. He looked down to see what the redhead was pointing at and saw the content of a garbage bag leaking to the pavement, maggot-infested food waste, used tissues and unrecognisable substances with flies surrounding the whole mess would made anyone gag at such a sight. But strangely enough, he couldn’t even detect the awful stench (he saw Akashi’s eyebrows furrowed deeper as if he was trying to concentrate on anything but the smell) though he himself had a keen sense of smell.

  
He couldn’t smell. But, why? Akashi was of course eyeing his every movement (he noticed him doing that for a while now) and in the end caught him blinking twice. Gosh darn it that habit of his. Perhaps he should give in for once and ask the impeccable detective in the whole town – or world even. So he did.

  
“Akashi-kun... why is it that I somehow lost my sense of smell? Did I...” Kuroko started, he seemed as clueless as before and the detective smugly smiled. The bluenette didn’t even realise the lie he told him just this morning or so it seemed.

  
“I’ve discovered something new about your curse, Tetsuya. You will still lose one of you senses even if you subconsciously lied. Your body could still remember what your mind didn’t, that’s why.” Explained the intelligent man who brought two fingers to his chin, finding this situation rather interesting indeed that he forgot the reason he was mad at the bluenette in the first place. Never again would he let his worthless feelings get in the way.

  
“Please elaborate, Akashi-kun, as I can’t seem to follow this conversation.” Kuroko implored as he decided not to hide his confusion. They continued walking while Akashi properly elaborated in short concise sentences.

  
“So, the reason why I temporarily lost my sense of smelling was because I told a lie to you even though I honestly couldn’t remember what happened the night before?” summarised the bluenette, not noticing a crack in the stone pavement that he ended up stumbling to avoid it when he realised.

  
“Careful now.” Akashi cushioned his fall with his chest and Kuroko could somehow see images of the redhead embracing him in his arms flashing through his mind. _Deja vu._ Somehow he felt like this wasn’t the first time they hugged, and his stomach made a sudden flip, his heart beat a little faster at the closeness of their bodies. It had happened before.

  
_It did?_

  
“Yes, it did. But it’s not just that, I’ll have you know.” The smirking detective re-enacted their kiss scene, a hundred percent sure now that Kuroko would remember. His chin was lifted and Akashi kept on edging closer and closer to his face that the bluenette couldn’t help but firmly shutting his eyes, his lips trembled a little. Just then, he must’ve heard the most beautiful sound he had ever listened to, Akashi’s tiny, muffled laughs, like baritone tinkles of bell, like a flowing river, so smooth and unhindered and most importantly – they were neither forced nor fake.

  
“Hehe..! Your body could remember just fine so why is this pretty little head too stubborn to believe so? Ahaha~” Tittered Akashi as he brought a crooked finger to his mouth and Kuroko was still staring hard, half happy at such a remarkable sight but half sad if this was all nothing but a delusion. His memory of the redhead laughing would forever etched in his heart. Once, he actually had an absurd thought that the senseless man was maybe a robot in disguise judging from his lack of emotions. Words simply couldn’t express it, he was just glad that Akashi proved him otherwise.

  
“What, Akashi-kun is human after all.” A slightly visible smile stretched across Kuroko’s lips and it was the redhead’s turn to stare. The cloudy atmosphere between them easily cleared up again. “Are you not referring to yourself?” Said Akashi in a playful tone and they continued walking side by side, this time, both failed to realise a person watching their every movement until they disappeared behind a tall barred gate leading to an enormous grey roofed mansion.

 

* * *

 

  
Loretta Louis’ Mansion:

  
“Hey, what are you two doing here? You’re not-” One of the police officers immediately held them back from entering the bedroom where the murder took place, yes, murder because this was not your average suicide case, Akashi mused.

  
“Wait.” A male’s voice said commandingly, it was a dark haired man with bangs covering his left eye and a beauty mark noticeably under his right eye, there was an air of elegance around him, and everything about him seemed flawless at first glance but Kuroko noticed how distraught the man was. “They’re with me so don’t lay a hand on them, please.”

  
The officer scrunched his eyebrows at that and went back to his post without saying anything else.

  
“Himuro-kun, it’s been a while.” Akashi said, and Himuro tersely nodded in agreement when he caught sight of the bluenette. “And who might this be?”

  
Kuroko politely bowed and introduced himself, “My name is Kuroko Tetsuya, Akashi-kun’s housemate and will be assisting with the investigation today. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  
Himuro bowed back in return and briefly introduced himself. “Ah, likewise. I am Himuro Tatsuya, the fiancé of the late Loretta Louis. Thank you both for coming and I presume you’re not busy at the moment, Akashi-kun?” He led them inside Loretta’s bedroom, a few forensics and crime scene investigators busy gathering any DNA sample they could find.

  
“Yes, I have time to spare for such a peculiar case, people saw her walking in a bloody dress after her death? It is indeed a never heard before mystery.” Akashi immediately made his way to where the body was.

  
In the middle of the room laid a lifeless blond woman in her wedding dress, all slashed up and dyed in a bloody red as the blood seemingly seeped into it from the wound on her chest. He inspected her from every aspect of angles there was, noting the slightly bruised neck and arms. There must’ve been a struggle or some sort before she met her demise and her nails. . . They were once neatly manicured a ruby red but some were now chipped and he studied each and one of them until he spotted one of them went missing.

  
“I..I have to go to the police station right after this.” Himuro informed the bluenette as he stared at his future wife’s body without an ounce of sadness in his bones. It wasn’t that he hated her or anything but their relationship was arranged by their families from the start and he couldn’t say he liked her romantically even after knowing her for five years long. The heart was in fact such a strange existence, wasn’t it?

  
“The police station?” repeated Kuroko, his face became a lot paler than before. He wasn’t good with seeing dead bodies in front of him to begin with. And looking at the poor woman, he was reminded of the cold, dark past he thought he had left behind already. A different woman whom he knew so well laying on the cold hard ground. Her soulless eyes were wide open, so was her mouth, her body cold and unmoving. The past would continue to haunt you to your grave, would it not?

  
_“Kuro-chan.”_

  
_I loved her smiles. Kind and gentle they were. But why. . . Did you decided to stop smiling already?_

  
_“Kuro-chan!”_

  
_You used to protect me from all the evils in the world. But why. . . Were you now hurting me?_

  
_“KURO-CHAN!”_

  
_I used to adore you. Your strength was admirable. But why. . . Am I afraid of you now?_

  
_I would be better off. . ._

  
_Without._

  
_You._

  
_Red._

  
_Red everywhere._

  
_All that was left was the colour red._

  
_“LIAR!”_

  
_**Tap**._

  
“...!”

  
“Kuroko-kun?” A touch to his arm brought him back to reality and entered Himuro in his field of vision. “Himuro-...san?”

  
“Are you alright? Your complexion doesn’t look too good right now. Any headaches? Does it hurt anywhere?” Kuroko blankly stared at the man who bombarded him with questions out of the blue. “Ah, my bad. I’m a doctor and an acquaintance of Midorima Shintarou. I believe you two have met?”

  
“Yes, I’ve just met him yesterday. And I feel fine now, thank you for asking.” Kuroko bowed in apology for his rudeness. “And you were saying..? Why do you have to go to the station again?” he silently made a mental note to stop staring into space while in the company of others, especially not Akashi.

  
“Oh, I’m supposedly one of the suspects in their list, so they need me to be there to interrogate me and confirm if I have an alibi or not.” Himuro calmly said, he didn’t seem nervous or anything, just overly fatigued and the bluenette almost advised him to rest properly. They looked directly into each other's eyes and albeit the guilt he felt for doing what he was doing, he wanted to know whether the man was the murderer or not. As you could never judge a book by its cover.

  
Though a tiny part in him wanted the man to be innocent.

  
_‘I’m not the one who did it but I’m not exactly innocent in a sense. I was with the man I loved when it happened, so I’m just as guilty for leaving her alone. I've to atone for my sins.’_

  
Kuroko immediately broke eye contact with the good-looking doctor. Why was it that the people he just met all turned out to be homosexual? As he said before, he had nothing against them but such a thing couldn’t be considered a coincidence, wouldn't it? He tilted his head in wonder and by that time, Akashi rejoined them once again.

  
“You have to be on your way to the station now, do you not? I’m done with my inspection here anyways.” Akashi said knowingly, his expression seemed a bit bothered by whatever it was he just discovered. Himuro nodded with a tired smile and excused himself before he went. The redhead then faced the bluenette who looked like he wanted to say something.

  
‘ _He’s not the one.’_

  
_‘Of course he’s not. And I knew exactly what his alibi would be.’_

  
_‘Ah, so Akashi-kun knew about that matter as well?’_

  
_‘Why, certainly. I’m the greatest detective there is, no?’_

  
Kuroko raised his eyebrows a little, _‘Really now? Then, who might the suspect be?’_

  
_‘Someone no one will ever suspect, but of course we need evidence before that person can be convicted.’_

  
_‘Evidence? How?’_ Kuroko continued asking, he was interested if not fascinated by how fast and accurate Akashi’s deductions were all the time. Perhaps it showed on his face as the redhead flashed one of his rarest smiles almost immediately.

  
“We must visit a certain someone first. A sweet tooth, to be exact.” Akashi’s thin lips curled into his ever infamous smirk.

  
_The game is on!_

  
_**To be continued...** _

 


	8. Taken

**Chapter 8: Taken**

 

_Ding dong._

  
“Co-ming~~~” A lazy, languid tone of voice greeted their ears as they stood in front of a caramel-coloured door soon after they pressed the doorbell. Sugary sweet scent wafted through the air as soon as the door swung open, a purple-haired man in a patisserie clothing greeted them. He was big and tall and Kuroko cursed the massive height difference internally. The man had easily passed two metres as he glanced up to be met with droopy violet eyes.

  
_He’s so tiny. And looks delicious. Wonder if he tastes good?_

  
Kuroko flinched at that and unconsciously hid behind the redhead who broke into a small laugh. “Now, now, you can’t eat him, Atsushi.”

  
“Oh, it’s Aka-chin. Come on in~” The lilac yawned widely as he shuffled inside, expecting them to follow suit. And as they did, Kuroko made sure he closed the door behind him. The house was connected to a patisserie in a two-storey building in which the house was on the second floor.

  
The sweet smell was stronger now right after they entered and where Akashi scrunched his nose in distaste, Kuroko was secretly savouring every smell there was, being a sweet tooth himself.

  
“Why didn’t you use the front door through the patisserie? I wanted to show you my new recipe.” The purple-haired pâtissier grumbled, a pout visible and Kuroko thought he resembled a five-year old child despite his towering height. Akashi of course, wasn’t a fan of sweet things altogether so it would be a waste of his time, as he always stressed that part out. “And who’s this, Aka-chin? Your client?”

  
“No, he isn’t. Meet Kuroko Tetsuya, my housemate. And Tetsuya, this is Murasakibara Atsushi, one of my colleagues back in high school.” Akashi finally introduced the two and the bluenette bowed politely first, “It’s nice to meet you, Murasakibara-kun.”

  
“Uhuh, nice to meet you too~” The lilac mimicked Kuroko’s small bow politely and dragged his feet to the kitchen after saying he’d serve them something.

  
“How did you came about knowing Murasakibara-kun?” Kuroko asked, both of them now seated in the living room upstairs. It was neatly organised. In fact, a lot more than their own living room would ever be, Kuroko was amazed with the redhead for a whole different reason because Akashi could turn everything upside down in mere seconds.

  
“Well, it was an unexpected meeting to be exact, but a rather boring story to be told. Are you still interested, Tetsuya?” Akashi said, but eyes focused on the case investigation materials Aomine had gathered for him cluttering on the ground.

  
“Why, yes of course, I am. Murasakibara-kun seemed like an interesting person.”

  
“You’re not entirely wrong. Sometimes, I feel like I have a child of my own when I’m with him.” Akashi said in an amused tone as he continued, “It was seven years ago, on a winter day exactly like today, was when I first met Atsushi.”

  
*

  
_7 years ago..._

  
_Akashi who had debuted as a high schooler eight months ago, was sitting in the school library, solving a murder case of a five-year old boy. It was a sickening case where the victim had been raped before mutilated beyond recognition and thrown into a dumpster._

  
_And the sick killer confidently left a note saying, “You can’t catch me.”_

  
_Akashi couldn’t say he hated this type of murderer because of their overconfidence, it’d be so much easier to decipher who it was. But this particular person definitely knew how to conceal himself as he was careful enough not to leave fingerprints or any source of DNA behind._

  
_Then, what was the next step?_

  
_“Want some candy?”_

  
_A lazy, draggy voice broke his train of thoughts and frowning heterochromatic eyes travelled to droopy lavender ones. The stranger was holding out a bag full of an assortment of chocolates and candies towards him._

  
_“Pardon me, but do I know you?”_

  
_The tall, purple-haired boy shook his head, “Not really~ but you look like you needed something sweet..?” he tilted his head to one side, seemingly unsure himself. “Muro-chin said It’s bad to frown all the time, you’ll get wrinkles otherwise...”_

  
_Muro-chin?_

  
_Akashi wasn’t exactly fond of sweets and the like but for a stranger to offer something to him, what kind of face did he make just now?_

  
_“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” The redhead randomly took a piece of candy. It was a bourbon wrapped in a red wrapper with a gold handwriting saying, ‘Markl’. Markl was a personal candy brand owned by a middle-aged man running a sweets shop by the end of Whitmore Lane, if his memory served._

  
_Staring at the candy wrapper a while longer, he realised how familiar the handwriting was. Yes of course, he’d seen it before- the writing on the yellowish note left by the murderer._

  
_He brought his attention back to the other student who was now stuffing his mouth full with chocolates. Charming. “What’s your name, friend?”_

  
_“Murasakibara Atsushi.” The lilac slurred his words out through chewing and munching but Akashi could understand him just fine. “Akashi Seijuurou. Pleasure to meet you, Atsushi.”_

  
*

  
“It was a fateful meeting then.” Kuroko said expressionlessly but he truly enjoyed listening to the story just now.

  
“There is no such thing as fate, dear Tetsuya.” Akashi smirked, and the bluenette sensed a realistic reasoning coming from the redhead. “While I don’t believe in fate, I must say it is closely related to free will where the result of something, bad or good, is depending solely on one’s own course of actions unimpeded by fate but people intend to blame it on fate because of their reluctance in admitting their mistakes.”

  
“Maybe so, but I am more of a fate believer.” Kuroko suddenly tugged at the redhead’s sleeve and leaned closer so their eyes met.

  
_‘And I know you are too. Wasn’t it fate that brought us together in the beginning?’_

  
The meaning of his words was what Akashi would called vague but he readily engaged in Kuroko’s little game, giving his answer by snaking his hands around the lean waist and the bluenette blushed soon enough.

  
“I made some scones with tea~” Murasakibara re-entered the living room with a tray of fresh scones and tea to be met with two men in an abnormally close proximity from each other. “Is now not a good time..?”

  
Kuroko pulled away first, cheeks now tinted scarlet red whilst Akashi let out a snigger and he didn’t bother denying anything. Slipping into his pea coat, the red-haired detective patted the lilac’s shoulder, “I’ll be going to the police station alone so take care of Tetsuya while I'm gone, Atsushi.”

  
“But, Akashi-kun..!” Kuroko tried to stop him but the redhead was already gone out the door. Police station? He didn’t believe in that lie one bit. Akashi was going alone because he could somehow detect Kuroko’s discomfort with the case, he should’ve known better.

  
The bluenette sighed. He had mellowed out considerably ever since he met Akashi-kun. He wasn’t as good as hiding his emotions anymore. Would that be a good or bad thing? He would have to find out later.

  
_Though I’ve never peg you as a considerate person, Akashi-kun._

  
A hand tugged at his wrist and Kuroko glanced up to see Murasakibara pulling him, “Kuro-chin looked like he needed some sugar so I’ll bake you something sweet, okay~ let’s go to the kitchen~”

  
And off to the kitchen downstairs they went.

  
*

  
“Do you have anything you like, Kuro-chin?” the pâtissier posed a question as he began gathering ingredients from the cupboard to narrow the list down. Macaroons, muffins, brownies, cakes or éclairs? Murasakibara had a lot of recipes in mind, not just British ones. All in all, he was simply a universal pastry chef.

  
“Well, I do prefer vanilla flavoured desserts, especially vanilla shortcakes. What about Murasakibara-kun?” Kuroko helped him preparing the utensils instead.

  
“Eh? I like everything that’s sweet~ But I’m into sticky toffee pudding nowadays. Muro-chin makes the best there is~”

  
_Muro-chin..?_

  
“I’ll make strawberry vanilla shortcake then~ Kuro-chin, pass me the whisk and mixing bowl?” The lilac pointed at the ones nearest to the bluenette who easily complied.

  
And once again, amethyst orbs met with cerulean ones.

  
_His hair look like cotton candy... Wonder if they taste like one?_ Murasakibara thought, a little bit of drool dripped from the corner of his slightly gaping mouth. He could relate everything with food and the thought of sweets would make his stomach grumble.

  
“No, unfortunately they don’t, Murasakibara-kun.” Kuroko smiled microscopically, feeling as if he was talking to a child. He had a soft spot for children to begin with, his dream to open up a nursery school one day. One day...

  
He could no longer hold on to that dream.

  
“Eh~ how did Kuro-chin knew what I was thinking? Are you an esper~” Murasakibara said, proceeding to lightly ruffle the soft blue head. Kuroko blinked twice at that, worried his secret was out when he realised the man wasn’t even serious with his words.

  
The pâtissier didn’t bother pressing on the matter so Kuroko decidedly changed the subject, “Pardon me for asking, but do you know Kise-kun, Aomine-kun and Midorima-kun as well?”

  
“Yep~ we all met through Aka-chin though. Aka-chin’s smart, handsome and also rich, he’s got everything, doesn’t he~” Murasakibara sincerely chimed, not the slightest embarrassed by his words.

  
“At least you’re a tidier person than Akashi-kun is.” Kuroko said truthfully as he passed the mixing bowl and whisk as requested.

  
“Ehh, not really..? I think I’m the messiest out of all five.” Admitted the pastry chef as he gladly took them from the bluenette’s hands.

  
“Really? But then, why does everything seemed to be in an orderly fashion in this house..?”

  
“Oh, that’s thanks to Muro-chin, I guess~ he comes here to clean from time to time and then we do stuffs together.” drawled Murasakibara, hands busied beating the eggs with butter and sugar before he added two drops vanilla essence, gradually flour and a teaspoon of baking powder. He didn’t elaborate what the ‘stuffs’ were and Kuroko felt he shouldn't ask.

  
_Muro-chin again?_

  
Kuroko figured he should probably just asked. “Muro-chin? Did you by chance, meant Himuro Tatsuya-san?”

  
_So, the person that Himuro-san loved was Murasakibara-kun after all, or could these two perhaps be lovers..?_

  
“Yup~ Are you sure you’re not an esper, Kuro-chin?”

  
_Their relationship may not end well but they  would still...choose to be together? Why is that? Wouldn’t you prefer to no longer be hurt instead?_

  
“I’m not.” Kuroko shook his head, unaware of the lie he has just uttered out as he was too deep in thoughts. “I’ve met him just this afternoon. You’re really fond of him, aren’t you?”

  
“Uhuh, Muro-chin is the best~ he cooks me meals, cleans up for me, compliments my pastries and I just love him the most~” beamed Murasakibara as he poured the mixture into a cake tin.

  
A few knocks on the backdoor came just then, surprising them a little.

  
“Wonder if that’s Akashi-kun?” Kuroko said, an unsettling feeling washed over him. That was too quick, though.

  
Murasakibara who was not the least suspicious merely shrugged, “Can you get the door for me, Kuro-chin? I’m gonna put this in the oven~”

  
“Understood.” The bluenette nodded and proceeded to the back entrance of the house. Thankfully there was a peephole so he stealthily tip toed to the door and glanced through the hole first, to make sure it wasn’t anyone dangerous. Or maybe he was just being paranoid. True enough, a familiar redhead stood outside with the same pompous expression on his face. “Akashi-kun...?”

  
He slowly unlocked the door and opened it, the uneasiness lingered still. What was it..? What was this sense of foreboding? What was coming?

  
“That was fast. Did you forget something, Akashi-kun?” Kuroko asked, standing face to face with the redhead.

  
“Yes, I did.” Akashi smiled cryptically. “ _You_ , Tetsuya.”

  
“What are you–”

  
Kuroko felt dizzy all of a sudden, looking down, he saw a hand – _Akashi’s_ hand stabbing his abdomen with a knife, a spot of red gradually formed on his wool shirt from the wound. The mysterious thing was he didn’t experience any kind of pain at all. “...?”

  
He saw black spots and knew that his consciousness was starting to leave him.

  
Only then did he realised two things; that he had lost his sense of touch along with the feeling of pain and that the man in front of him wasn’t the real Akashi-kun.  
“W-who...”

  
Kuroko fell forwards, his vision grew darker and darker until he completely passed out.  
The man swiftly caught the bluenette in his arms with a malicious smile stretched on his lips. “What a dull reaction, you didn’t even flinch when I stabbed you?” He then carried the unconscious male to his car, settling him on the passenger seat in front.

  
“Oops, don’t forget to wear seatbelt. I’m not exactly careful enough when driving – ah, he can’t hear me.” The smirking man made a ‘silly me’ kind of face before making his way to the driver’s seat.

  
He took his right contact lens off, revealing a lighter honey-coloured eye underneath that red lens. And he pulled out the red wig to reveal neck length black hair.

  
“Now, Akashi-kun. How far would you go for Kuroko Tetsuya? Let's play a game of hide-and-seek, shall we?”

 

_**To be continued...** _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh it’s hard to write in words what you had in mind :x Welp, sorry for dragging this silly corpse bride case for too long. It’ll be solved in the next chapter, promise! And can you guess who it is at the end? (It’s so obvious tho I know lol)
> 
> See you~ xx


	9. Cage of Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: You're about to delve into a lengthy unbetaed maybe full of errors chapter and note that there may be some cringe worthy moments coming from this fried brain of mine.
> 
> Extra warning: some not so graphic violence (maybe?), blood gore (not too explicit) and uh smut.

**Chapter 9: Cage of Emotions**

 

Akashi strode quickly to the designated place he had in mind, smirking pleasingly to himself for his new discovery. The case turned out to be a lot more simple than they thought it would be. The zombie bride turned out to be not a zombie after all, but a living human. A long-lost twin of Loretta Louis, who went with the name Francesca Walker and her real name was Antoinette Louis.

  
There was only one reason why she had plotted murder against her own blood sister – jealousy.

  
In his pocket was an evidence he picked on Murasakibara’s front porch earlier, a red lacquer nail, belonging to no other than the late Loretta. Of course it was all nothing but a conspiracy plotted to set the pâtissier up for the crime he hadn’t done. But there was more to the case than meets the eye, if Akashi didn’t know any better.

  
His phone suddenly lit up inside the pocket of his coat and although Akashi wasn’t one to take notice of it before solving a case, his hand moved on its own account, automatically fishing it out. Ruby eyes rolled down to the screen to read while his feet carried on walking.

  
_One new message._

  
From an unsaved number.

  
“Hm?” A photo was attached with a short message that read; _‘look what I found~’_

  
It wasn’t the message that threw him off balance. It was the image of a very familiar man, a pale blue-haired man, unconscious and wounded. Wounded. Akashi couldn’t describe what he felt at that moment there and then, but one thing was for sure – he wanted nothing but to find the very person who did this to Tetsuya and rip their head off.

  
_Hanamiya._

  
A voice inside his head said and Akashi finally stopped short, not denying the thought at all. Of course. Of freaking course. He massaged his temple, calculating in his head what suitable course of actions he had to take. And knowing the psychotic man, this would not prove to be easy at all.

  
Tapping the call button, the redhead waited for only a second when the call got connected to the operator saying the number was no longer in service etc. “Tsk.” He figured that much, because Hanamiya was always, always so careful of a person in whatever evil schemes he planned. The man was notorious for his perfect disguises and ventriloquism skills, they were what that helped him escape every crime he committed right after.

  
But. . .

  
One mistake he made was disclosing the location of his current whereabouts. Through the image he saw in a mere three seconds before the picture automatically deleted itself, he could already recall it anytime in his brain. Behind the unconscious Tetsuya who was lying on the ground, were full of rusty containers for shipping and on each and one of them were the Kingsbury’s crests a little too microscopic to detect but nothing could get past unnoticed by the redhead. Kingsbury was a well-known trader company in London, owning over a hundred of manufacturing factories and warehouses alike. But, it had only been twenty-one minutes since he last since Kuroko, meaning they couldn’t have gotten far with the unconscious bluenette and the furthest he could get with a helicopter (if he was riding one), would still be within a 5000-metre radius from Murasakibara’s house. Rust usually came from the sea and there was one storage house belonging to the company there if his memory served. A fifteen-minute drive.

  
Never underestimate people with a photographic memory.

  
Or perhaps, it wasn’t an underestimation but instead an invite or a trap and the likes. The cunning ravenette somehow learnt of Tetsuya and decided to use the bluenette to lure him directly into the palm of his hand.  
He knew me too well, that swine.

  
New plans were made, ways to catch the fiendish man devised, in Akashi’s head there were currently more than thousands scenarios accounting what might have happened and predicting the possible outcomes. You would never be too ready in capturing _Moriarty_ let alone catching a glimpse of such secretive man through his many disguises.

 

* * *

 

“Wakey wakey, time for some fun~” Someone said at the exact moment Kuroko stirred awake only to be attacked with a stabbing pain on his abdomen and the smell of antiseptic strongly infiltrated his nostrils that he felt like gagging.

  
Where on earth was he?

  
Kuroko tried to move his hands which were unsurprisingly bound to the cold surface he was on. And his feet were all tied up as well, rendering him immobile. The bright white lights flashing on top of him were almost blinding and Kuroko had to squint his eyes in search of the voice.

  
A man wearing a pale green mask suddenly popped his head into view near his face, almost too close for comfort but Kuroko blankly stared back as they engaged into a silent staring contest. He had never seen the man before but the man’s demeanour was similar to the man who disguised himself as the red-haired companion of his.

  
“Why were you pretending to be Akashi-kun?” the bluenette finally asked impassively, defiant cerulean eyes locked into honey ones.

  
“Why? Isn’t it obvious at this point, my little mouse?” His kidnapper chuckled all the while twirling the scalpel with his fingers quite dangerously. His voice changed every time he spoke and the bluenette knew a fellow ventriloquist when he saw one. The man was quite a skilful one to boot.

  
But it was something else that caught his attention. Kuroko, for the first time in his twenty-five years of living, was taken aback by the fact that he couldn’t read the man’s mind. It was a first. A first someone succeeded in blocking his ability to mind read. Peering deeper into the mysterious man’s mind further puzzled him. It was as blank as an empty canvas and he could see nothing but pure white.

  
Kuroko unconsciously gulped and afterwards half whispered, “Who...are you..?”

  
A different voice answered this time, deeper, darker, “That’s what you need to find out...” His kidnapper laughed like he had made a joke between friends, taking a needle and a lighter from a small table situated to Kuroko’s left and his stomach churned painfully at the sight of the needle.

  
_‘Kuro-chan, this won’t hurt a bit...’_

  
An image of an older woman momentarily replaced his kidnapper’s covered face and Kuroko’s whole body began tensing up. Once again, unwanted memories resurfaced on their own account and each fragment sent a small crack to the wall of emotions he’d built long ago to save himself from. . .

  
And yet, this man... what was he going to do...?

  
“This won’t hurt as much if you don’t squirm around, okay?” The masked man muffled through the thin cloth covering his mouth but his words only further alarmed the bluenette, now wiggling his hands and feet to be freed.

  
“Please, stop.” Kuroko pleaded, there was now a hint of urgency in his once monotonous voice. His heart was now beating a mile at the sight of the sharp needle, an item that could easily forced him to recall his traumatic past again. “...no, not that please...”

  
“I’m sorry but I have to tend to your wounds, do I not?” Gloved fingers teared the wool shirt open to reveal the cut that was done by himself. After lightly heating the needle, the man immediately sunk it into his skin without any prior preparations and definitely not a single warning.

  
“...!?” Kuroko automatically lurched forward when the needle pricked his skin for the first time but was immediately restrained by the leather straps that kept him in place. “...A-ah..!”

  
_This familiar pain... Not good... I mustn’t remember! Don’t...!_

  
As if it was an allergic reaction, the bluenette began convulsing on the metallic surface he was on, and ended up stabbing himself more and more when he suddenly stopped squirming and laid still for a few minutes before finally reopened his eyes, which strangely took a darker blue, almost sapphire-like colour and his bangs noticeably longer.

  
The masked man arched an eyebrow at that, he was more than intrigued if anything else in finding out how the bluenette did that.

  
“Ah, it’s been a while since I last came out and I’d have to admit, this is the least ideal situation I’ve been in yet.” The bluenette spoke first, his tone lighter and full of life compared to the usual flat tone of Kuroko Tetsuya but a slight frown evident between his eyebrows, as if he was trying to contain the pain. “Are you the shitty guy who hurt Tetsuya?”

  
His kidnapper said nothing but instead continued with his sewing, fresh blood started spilling from where he pricked the purplish skin and the sight of deep red blood now pooling on the table enticed him so.

  
“Tch, is that all you got? I’ll have you know I can handle much more than this..!” The bluenette grinned widely, beady sweats and tears alike rolled down his cheeks and he was starting to feel numb from the pain and dizziness altogether.

  
_I can do this. I’ll get through this sadistic bastard's treatment for Tetsuya’s sake. I have to._

  
“An admirable one, aren’t you? May I have your name for this act of bravery you’re currently displaying? You’re not Tetsuya, are you?”

  
“I’ve no name to give to a scum like you! Release us or...ngh!” The bluenette hotly retorted, clenching his teeth tightly as the hot needle sunk into his skin for the tenth time, the smell of charred flesh was downright sickening and he knew their real body wouldn’t last for much longer.

  
‘Us? Meaning they are of different identities...’

  
The masked man purposely pulled the thread hard and his pitiful yet stubborn ‘patient’ instantly scowled in pain.

  
“Do you feel like telling me yet? Or should I add another stitch?” The man said, followed by a malicious laugh which sent chills down his spine. Gripping his knuckles tight, the bluenette shakily exhaled, “It’s Tetsu...”

  
The man finally stopped with his little ‘patchwork’, giving it one last finishing touch by tying up a knot. “Good boy.”

  
Tetsu angrily scratched the man’s hand that was coincidentally within his reach all the while glaring holes at the masked man before he was robbed of his consciousness from both blood lost and the aftershock.

 

* * *

 

_~some steamy AoKi scenes to lightened up the dark mood~_

  
“Oh! Ahn..! There! Feels so good, Aominecchi~~ Haa- More..! Deeper, faster aahn!” Kise rocked his hips up and down on top of a dark-skinned man, his most beloved lover, Aomine Daiki. Sweat glistened down his supple white skin, they almost looked like beads of pearl and Aomine peppered smooches everywhere, occasionally leaving hickeys here and there.

  
“I thought I told you to call me by my given name when we’re alone...” reprimanded the policeman by ramming deeper inside Kise’s gaping hole, reaching until the depths he’d never reached before. One of the reasons why he loved this position the most, much to Kise’s dissent. “You know I get even more turned on when you call me that, don’t ya?”

  
“S-so deep..! Ao- Dai... Daikicchi, slow down...ah! I’m gonna break hngh! Y-you're tearing my ass apart~ Uhn! Daiki~~” whimpered the blond but in the midst of ecstasy and hurt combined, he couldn’t think of anything else but to shake his hips harder, shamelessly liking how Aomine’s tip was touching places it had never been before. “That’s more like it, Ryou. As a reward...”

  
(I decided Aomine will call Kise that during sex cuz why not? ;D)

  
He began picking up the pace, plunging his member in and out quicker than before, his mouth travelled to Kise’s chest and began sucking on his hard nipples quite roughly until they perked and swollen red. “D-don’t tease- mhm... there..!”

  
All of a sudden, Kise could feel the cock inside him swelling up, stretching both his asshole and insides wider and he painfully yelped in response. “W-why are you getting bigger..! Ahn, Daiki- stop thrusting hyaa- I said STOP, you idiotic beast~~” his hands landed on the well-toned chest, unconsciously scratching and clawing at it out of reflex.

  
“Fuck... I’m close... I’m coming inside, Ryou..!” grunted the tanned man, hugging his lover by the waist tight.

  
“W..wait-” The blonde’s squeals intensified at his boyfriend’s relentless thrusts. “N-not yet...!”

  
Aomine ended up coming first, releasing his first load and the second time had the blond came too, messily spurting his semen everywhere – Aomine’s face included.

  
Panting loudly, Kise weakly fell on top of the tanned man so that he was lying on his own dick juice (Aomine would always refer semen to that) and they continued their kisses, chaste and deep alternatingly. Rough pants and gasps slowly subsided, replaced by occasional moans and sighs.

  
“You idiot, are you trying to kill me?” Kise said as he pulled back, erotically licking his wet lips, his teary golden orbs seemingly glowed in the dark room and Aomine Jr. easily stood up again at such a delectable sight, the blond could feel it prodding between his legs. “Y-you’re already hard again..? Daikicchi, you big pervert.”

  
Long, slender fingers grabbed hold of the hardened dick and lightly stroked it. “Just so you know, I have a performance tomorrow so we can’t go for another round tonight-ssu.”

  
“Aww, we always stopped after the first round, you know a handjob is not enough to make me come.” Aomine stared pleadingly at him but the actor wouldn’t be the first to give in. “Oh, really, who says I can’t make you...”

  
The phone by the bed suddenly vibrated and Kise stopped any motion while Aomine remained unmoved. “You’re not going to get that?”

  
“Never mind that, how should I answer the phone with a rock hard dick? C’mon, you said you’ll make me come with just your hands, didn’t you? I can settle for a fellatio too, y’know.”

  
“P-pervert..! But, Daikicchi, what if it’s Akashicchi? I don’t want you to die yet~~~” whined the blond and Aomine slowly turned limp at the mention of the redhead’s name. Pecking Kise’s lips, he languidly moved to his side of the bed and true enough, Akashi’s name popped on the screen of his phone. He cluck his tongue in irritation, “This had better be good, shrimp.”

  
Sliding the green button, he was immediately greeted by a silky voice, sounding a little out of breath and without a doubt, pissed off. “Sorry to disturb your personal time with Ryouta, but I need you to do something for me, Daiki.”

  
“What, so you knew we were busy fucking but you still rang me, huh? How ‘bout a no for once?”

  
‘LISTEN TO ME! Will you _please_ listen to me, Daiki?’ It was definitely Akashi’s voice from the other end but it took Aomine and even Kise (who was eavesdropping) everything to not believe it wasn’t him. For the first time in their lives, they heard the word ‘please’ rolled out of Akashi’s tongue, not to mention him using his never before heard raised voice.

  
Kise was quick to freak out, screaming; “The end of the world must be near! Why would Akashicchi suddenly say please otherwise?!”

  
Aomine on the other hand, grew very quiet as if he knew the reason behind the ever so stoic redhead’s current distress.

  
_Tetsu._

  
“What should I do.” He calmly asked, bringing a finger to Kise’s soft lips, signalling him to keep quiet and the blond instantaneously nodded.

  
‘Just now- no, never mind. I need you to be at St. Peter Cemetery before the clock strikes twelve a.m. It’s the case of Loretta Louis. You will be posting there to catch the zombie bride that will seemingly rise from Loretta’s grave but don’t shoot her, bring her back to the station alive and I’ll be there soon to solve the mystery. And if I don’t, take my instructions from Atsushi. Do you copy that, Daiki?’

  
“Loud and clear. But, do you need a squad or just me to wherever you’re going right now?”

  
‘No. Now, get back to your business...’

  
“You come back alive, you hear me? Else I’ll hunt you down to your grave.” Aomine for the first time ever, cut the redhead off his words.

  
‘Of course, I will. And one more thing, don’t you dare call me shrimp ever again.’ The know-it-all Akashi threatened before dropping the call first.

  
_Click._

  
Aomine scoffed with a smile, “Heh, cheeky to no end.”

  
“Aominecchi, what’s wrong with Akashicchi?” Kise immediately inquired, a mix of fear and worry evident in his eyes. Aomine shook his head, gently kissing the top of the yellow head. “Nothing’s wrong. He’ll be fine no matter what problem may come his way, remember? And I’ve got some work to do so sleep before me, got that?”

  
Aomine pulled Kise into a chaste kiss before he ruffled the golden tresses, displaying a toothy smile, “I’m off then.”

  
“Please be careful! And come back safe-ssu...” Kise whispered, desperately praying for the safety of everyone. He had a bad feeling that night, but hopefully it would go away the next day taking nothing with it.

 

* * *

 

_‘Tetsuya.’_

  
_‘....’_

  
_‘Tetsuya, wake up.’_

  
_‘...?’ Soft blue eyes blinked a few times and Kuroko was met with a pair of heterochromatic eyes. ‘Akashi-kun..?’_

  
_‘No, unfortunately I’m not Akashi-kun.’_

  
_Taking a closer look, Kuroko realised the pair of eyes were red and blue instead of Akashi’s red and yellow and owner of such eyes belonged to a long blue-haired man about his age. ‘Then, who might you be? And where are we, if I may ask?’ The bluenette questioned, looking around and saw nothing else but pure white snow gently falling around them._

  
_‘It seems you have forgotten about me... Though who I am at the moment is not important and you are currently in grave danger, Tetsuya. The man who took you is named Hanamiya. Hanamiya Makoto. And he is a dangerous criminal who has been escaping from Akashi-kun since long ago.’_

  
_‘How do you...’_

  
_‘...know all of this? That, I will have to tell you another time. But, whatever you do, do not give what Hanamiya wants. Resist him. Don’t give in. For you are stronger than you think.’ The long-haired man kissed his forehead and Kuroko’s vision slowly blurred._

 

* * *

 

  
Kuroko groggily reopened his eyes to be met with a dark ceiling this time. He felt as if someone had been punching him all night and groaned a little when the stinging sensation snaked from his stomach once more. He wanted to inspect it only to realise his hands and feet were once again bound. He calmly began assessing the current unfortunate situation he was in.

  
_That’s right. Somebody had disguised himself as Akashi-kun and lured me out at such an insane timing when Murasakibara-kun was busy. Almost as if that person was watching my every movement... or in fact, both of us..? And he... did unspeakable things to me..._

  
The bluenette tried to sit down but dropped back on the dusty floor, sending dust bunnies swirling in the air and some into his nostrils, and was attacked by the same pain around his abdomen.

  
“A-achoo!”

  
It even hurt to sneeze. The wound from the knife wasn’t too deep but was probably worsened by Hanamiya’s rough treatment earlier.

  
The cruel man stitched his wound back without even anaesthetising him, the raw pain of having a needle in and out of his stomach in his wake almost broke his mind.

  
He was currently in a pretty bad predicament, one would have said, yes?

  
But oddly enough, he felt devoid of emotions. As if his brain was desperately trying to shut down and protect his mind from short-circuiting. It was better if he didn’t remember. It was better if-

  
“Are you awake now, little mouse?” A man stepped out of the shadows, and he took small deliberately slow steps towards the bluenette.

  
“H..Hanamiya...san?” Kuroko faced the man properly, and if the person in his dream was right, this man’s name would be ‘Hanamiya’.

  
“Congratulations, you’ve figured out my name. As a reward...”

  
The ravenette sighed mockingly, taking his black mask off to reveal his ‘true’ appearance. A man of many faces whose true identity remained shrouded in mystery. Now standing in front of the bluenette, he purposely sat on his stomach and Kuroko clenched his teeth due to the crushing pain. “Still so polite to your kidnapper and possibly killer, isn’t that admirable?”

  
“It...hurts...” gasped Kuroko as the ravenette pushed all of his weight down directly onto the stitched wound. His stomach grew hotter and hotter until he feel like barfing. “Please... s-stop...”

  
The dreadful feeling came surging back almost like it was forcefully summoned. Cerulean orbs trembled in an emotion he long thought he’d lost – fear. He began to shake from head to toe, short and irregular breaths escaped his dried up lips. Hanamiya terrified him so, he reminded him so much of that person and even Kuroko himself could tell he was hyperventilating.

  
‘You’re stronger than you think.’

  
The stranger’s words rang inside his head once more. But Kuroko faltered. Was he really?

  
_I don’t think I’m strong after all... Please. Save me, Akashi-kun._

  
The ceiling started spinning, the ground sinking. It was nauseating and Kuroko almost passed out when. . .

  
‘I’ll help you. Trust me and I’ll ease your pain.’ A voice echoed inside Kuroko’s head instead, and in the haziness of his mind, a white hand stretched out to him. ‘Grab onto my hand and I’ll help.’

  
Kuroko hadn’t the slightest clue who it was but he was so desperately wanting to escape that he gripped onto the outstretched hand without thinking twice.

  
‘....please do.’

  
Kuroko shut his eyes tight, slowly drifting into an abysmal darkness.

  
“About time you called for me, Tet-chan~ I was getting tired of wandering in the dark and all alone!” The bluenette reopened his now pinkish eyes, all wide smiles and chirpy. Gone were any traces of docility nor vulnerability he had shown seconds ago. His hair slowly dyed in a pink hue as well, matching his unique eye colour.

  
“Now, _who_ do we have here?” Hanamiya arched an eyebrow, amused by a different tone than before and he was no less than intrigued in finding out more.

  
“Who am I? I’m Ko-chan, of course!” Kuroko or ‘Ko-chan’ to be precise, uncharacteristically let out a high-pitch laugh before he pushed Hanamiya down and changed their positions. “Our Tetsuya is a weak-minded kid who’s afraid of a little pain and torture. But me? I absolutely love them. And you’re kinda cute, so play with me~?”

  
Ko boldly pitted his body against Hanamiya’s and began rubbing their crotches together whilst moaning pleasurably. His cheeks now stained pink, his breath ragged and the pressure to his abdomen caused his wound to reopen, thick red blood spilling onto the other’s clothes but he simply shivered in sheer pleasure. The tremendous pain gave him nothing but pure ecstasy.

  
“M-more~” Ko-chan whined, puffs of hot steamy breaths reaching Hanamiya’s ear and the man darkly chuckled, holding the panting bluenette by the waist. This was beyond entertaining. How fast Kuroko Tetsuya changed personalities and the possibility of having different identities residing in him managed to catch his full attention. If anything, the ‘Man with Many Faces’ suited him more than Hanamiya himself.

  
“...do you want to put it in..?” Ko was about to dig underneath his pants when his hand froze momentarily, like it was under control of somebody else.

  
**_Stop it, Ko._ **

  
“...!” Ko-chan completely stopped when a stern voice inside his head commanded him to.

  
**_If you don’t, I’ll forbid you for coming out for the rest of your pitiful life._ **

  
“Tsk, Kuro-chan is such a downer.” The bluenette reluctantly reclosed his eyes and fell unconscious for just a few seconds when he rose up again, with an evident frown between his eyebrows.

  
A new persona that went by the name ‘Kuro’ with dark hair and eyes dyed in inky black appeared before the ravenette. Kuro leered with an unspeakable wrath towards the man who had inflicted so much damage to their body. “You dare hurt us.” The bluenette growled, a hand grabbing at Hanamiya’s neck, pressing his windpipe with a ridiculous amount of strength he thought the frail man wasn’t capable of.

  
“I won’t allow you to live any longer-” Kuro paused right after, sensing his time was unfortunately up. Their time was limited given Kuroko’s mental condition. And he was now at his lowest sanity level, only allowing the angry persona a few seconds of his time.

  
“Touch him again, and I’ll fucking skin you alive.”

  
After one last threat, the dark-haired Kuroko unwillingly swapped back to their original body - leader of all others - hence bringing Kuroko back to consciousness yet again, “...? What just...happened? Hngh...” the paled bluenette slumped down on top of his kidnapper, weakened from the considerable blood loss.

  
_A never-ending nightmare. Is this what it feels like to be in one?_

  
Hanamiya’s honey eyes glinted dangerously, “Why don’t you tell me that, Kuroko Tetsuya... who are you? And which one among you is the real you?” The ravenette began laughing like a hyena at his sudden revelation. “No wonder Seijuurou is enticed by you, Kuroko Tetsuya.” He roughly pushed the teal-haired man to the floor once more, trapping him underneath his hovering body.

  
_Yet again, I..._

  
“There should only be one of us for him to chase. Though it’d be a shame, should I just kill you right here, right now?” the snickering honey-eyed man said, purposely putting some pressure to the bleeding stomach with his hand. “Or, should I just leave you to bleed out and die instead?”

  
At this point, Kuroko no longer resist nor squirm in pain but laid very still on the hard floor, almost as if he had accepted his fate.

  
_This time too... I failed to protect everyone... I am-_

  
**Bang!**

  
A loud, ear-splitting sound pierced through the dead silent of the night, rendering the two frozen on their spots.

  
Hanamiya’s body momentarily shuddered when a bullet grazed his left shoulder, effectively separating him from the bluenette. “So you’ve come, Seijuurou?” He sniggered, side-glancing to the the direction of a redhead who appeared through the door with a gun in hand.

  
“The next shot would go through your head. And I assure you I would not miss.” Akashi said as he swiftly cocked his gun, his voice was so dry and cold, it was almost unrecognisable.

  
“...A...ka...shi..kun...” The gasping Kuroko weakly called out before he was surrounded by nothing but pitch black for the fourth time that night.

  
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Hanamiya? Am I not the one you want, why bother involving an innocent bystander? Or have you decided to go for the psychopathic killer route since the last time I saw you?” The words rolled off Akashi’s tongue one by one in an increasing stern tone of voice and Hanamiya quickly knew the man was beyond pissed.

  
He calmly shook his head before breaking into that wide, creepy grin of his. “I would like it if you use the term unpredictable. You know how I don’t tolerate anyone or anything getting in between us?” Hanamiya started, walking in a circle towards the redhead and away from the bluenette.

  
“What are you on to now? Since when did my housemate became a hindrance to you?” hissed Akashi as he began walking towards Kuroko and away from the cunning man, his back facing the unconscious bluenette all the time.

  
“Since you started caring for him of course. Why would you desperately come to his rescue, all short of breaths and all?” Hanamiya debated but he didn't stop there. “And is it wrong to imply that you _like_ him in that sense?”

  
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Akashi hotly retorted as he bent down to the bluenette who was lying on the dirty floor, and inspected the wound underneath his bloodied clothes in split second before returning his glare to his nemesis. The sight of the ugly stitches engraved on Kuroko’s beautiful skin made his blood boiled and all he could see was red. “WHAT. DID. YOU. DO.”

  
Hanamiya shrugged indifferently, like he had done nothing wrong at all. “Oh, nothing much. But, you didn’t think I’d just stop right there, did you now?” He produced something from the front pocket of his black slacks. It looked like a device or some sort with a small protruding red button in the middle.

  
Akashi stared at it for a while longer before everything clicked together perfectly. He shifted his gaze from the ravenette back to Kuroko, dreaded what he was about to do next. “Are you telling me...” his hand stopped short before touching the wounded area and in the end, Akashi lightly pressed it with his fingers. True enough, something had been implanted inside of Kuroko’s stomach. And that something was a...

  
Without as much as a glance to the ravenette, Akashi fired his second shot in a blink of an eye, hitting the switch off Hanamiya’s hand. “You bastard, how much more pain would you inflict on others before you’re satisfied? If it’s me you want, it’s me you should hunt...”

  
“Well, that would defeat the purpose of our little game and... Oops, I didn’t say that one was the right switch, did I?” The ravenette produced another similar switch from his other pocket much to Akashi’s horror. “Sorry to break it to you, Seijuurou... But it’s game over.”

  
“Don’t-!”

  
Three things happened simultaneously – Hanamiya pressing the button, Akashi pulling the trigger again, though knowing well he was 0.25 seconds later than the ravenette and the last was what shocked them both so much; Kuroko mysteriously rising on his feet, with waist long hair and a mismatched pair of light blue and deep red eyes that stared back at them.

  
The long-haired bluenette then touched the stitched area of his stomach and with just a flick of a wrist, threw whatever it was in his hand towards Hanamiya who reflexively evaded and he was damn glad he did when something exploded just behind him. He whistled, partly amazed.

  
That was the bomb. Which was supposedly inside his stomach.

  
“Tetsuya...” Akashi started when a thin finger landed on his mouth, it was Kuroko’s. Or so he thought.

  
“Hanamiya Makoto, will you rather die by my hands tonight?” The bluenette casually said with a full smile on his lips, some of his bangs fell down to his eyes when he tilted his head a little, casting shadow to them as he continued with a dangerous chuckle, “Or will you rather another time? Though I wouldn’t mess with me if I were you.” The teal-haired easily threatened Hanamiya who seemed more than ready to escape.

  
“It’s a pity that we’ve just met, but I do have to take my leave.” Hanamiya said with a poised smirk, the smirk he showed when he was confident enough that he would escape as he disappeared into the darkness behind him.

  
“No, you don’t..!” Akashi was just about to take off towards the ravenette when the long-haired man beside him fell on his knees. The usual Akashi Seijuurou would’ve sped away from the bluenette without a single remorse in his fibre but something stopped him on his tracks and he turned around to the fallen man.

  
He would have to catch Hanamiya another time, that was all.

  
“Give me your hand.” The redhead offered in which the mysterious bluenette easily complied.

  
“I am known as Tsuya, pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance.” The long-haired bluenette said, his heterochromatic eyes levelled with Akashi’s who helped him up on his feet.

  
“Likewise, I am Akashi Seijuurou, though I presumed you already knew who I am?” The redhead knowingly said with a slight smile on his lips but his expression turned darker when he asked, “Is Tetsuya alright? I wish to see him right now.”

  
“A bit impatient, aren’t you? I will let you see him soon but first, are you not interested in knowing what you’ve put Tetsuya through due to your incompetence in judging the situation earlier?” A smirk graced Tsuya’s mouth and the redhead arched an eyebrow at that.

  
“Will this take long...” Akashi stopped short when the bluenette suddenly bumped their foreheads together and connected their lips too before long. And the redhead didn’t bother resisting at all.

  
Flashes of images of Kuroko and Hanamiya sped through his mind at lightning speed, almost as if they were being projected by the bluenette himself and Akashi’s expression turned grim in a matter of seconds. What one would called inhumane and sickening cruelty was done so easily to the frail and kind-hearted Kuroko who surely didn’t deserve any of this and wouldn't even be involved with Hanamiya had they never met.

  
That realisation hit Akashi soon enough.

  
_‘Incompetent..? That’s a rather weak word to describe the me now, a pathetic, stupid, useless of person that I am to let such a thing befell upon Tetsuya..?’_

  
Tsuya pulled back a little and gently cupped Akashi’s face into his slightly trembling hands while keeping their eye contact, _‘It was our negligence that played a bigger role, not just yours. I implore you, the reason why I chose to show you the truth isn’t to degrade you but instead... Seijuurou, you’re the only one who can save us all.’_

  
The bluenette then weakly fell forward right into Akashi’s chest, his long silky teal hair fell over his shoulders and the redhead briefly noted how soft they were as he carefully embraced the now unconscious man. Staring down to his chest, he saw the familiar bluenette once again with short spiky hair replacing the longer strands and Akashi nuzzled his face close on top of Kuroko’s head. They really were soft. And the real Kuroko Tetsuya really was in his arms, paled as a ghost but alive.

  
Kuroko was still alive.

  
Something wet flowed down his cheeks at that instant and Akashi languidly wiped them off with his fingertips to find out they were actually tears. _His_ tears.

  
At that very moment, the ever so heartless, sociopathic Akashi Seijuurou was overwhelmed by a peculiar, never before heard of an emotion welling inside of him, ready to burst out at any moment – and such emotion towards the bluenette could only be. . .

  
_**To be continued...** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ sorry for the late update! Been busy this week but I’m finally back with another chapter (must be confusing as hell to some and I don’t care muahahaha). Okay, maybe I do care... A little bit of explanation if you like:
> 
> Warning: long note/rant ahead.
> 
> Ever heard or watched the movie ‘Split’ before? Basically, the concept’s the same and Kuroko suffers from dissociative identity disorder or in simpler terms; multiple personality disorder but instead of having different identities like in the movie or most cases, Kuroko’s case slightly differ.
> 
> In his case, all of his other personas took form from his suppressed emotions which were once a part of him but became separated and they began to create an identity for themselves afterwards. The history of that would be explained in due time.
> 
> There are now only four main personas aside from Kuroko and I’ll prepare bits of their info (like short bibliographies or some sort) to you guys in the next chapter. Will also explain what happened to the other personas which decidedly erase their existence next time. 
> 
> (I hate that I have a sad small vocabulary btw)  
> Thanks for reading and feel free to ask me anything you don’t understand - I’ll be happy to explain~ Till then, stay awesome peeps. C:


	10. The Truth

**Here are the bits of info of the four personalities as promised!**

  
**The Four Personas**

  
Kuro (Black/Dark): A manifestation of Kuroko’s anger and hate, has a short temper and a slightly foul mouth but is both reliable and responsible person most of the time. He manages the other personas in Kuroko’s stead (a shadow leader would be best to describe him). Is overprotective of Kuroko and would definitely throw everything away to save him from any danger. He is often on bad terms with Ko since the latter loves to irk him the most out of them all, treats Tetsu like his own younger brother while rarely speaks with Tsuya, reason being of Tsuya’s oddity and his unsociable personality making him seems a little unapproachable. Specialty: is a pro at handling weapons especially guns.

  
Tetsu (Steel): Possessed Kuroko’s bravery, he is a bold and straightforward person and could be brutally honest at times. He cares for Kuroko and the other personas greatly and wouldn't think twice to jump between them and danger. Which is why his constitution is a lot more studier than Kuroko himself but he is a fragile person on the inside and secretly craves to be loved. Likes to be praised by Kuro and thinks of him as an older brother. On good terms with Ko and often sees him as a sister (yeah sister) figure. Admires Tsuya and wishes to be pampered by him. Specialty: his cheerfulness makes him well-liked by others.

  
Ko (Sin): As the meaning of his name implies, Ko is a very lascivious and lustful persona with some masochistic streaks in him and he himself openly admits it. He represents Kuroko’s sexual needs and after being suppressed for such a long time, he develops the tendency to feel pleasure from pain and depends on human’s touch or warmth to feel good, the rougher they are, the better. A happy-go-lucky soul whose intentions are often misunderstood due to his libidinous nature. He is afraid of and can only be subdued properly by Tsuya and likes to pick fights with Kuro for no reason. He is also often annoyed by Kuroko’s fragility but mysteriously has a soft spot for Tetsu whose heart is as fragile as glass. Specialty: is a master of the art of seduction (and you know why).

  
Tsuya (Lustre): No one knows how his existence came to be. Has esper-like and clairvoyance abilities. He could also appear in other people’s dreams. The mind-reading which Kuroko possessed was also lent by him, although his intentions remained shrouded in mystery. He was cursed with the ‘shan’t lie, lest lose one sense’ curse from a long time ago due to a circumstance back in their forgotten past. He is a calm and graceful persona with a slight mental instability at times giving the condition in which Kuroko’s mental state is in. Prefers to keep to himself and is capable of taking care of himself despite having a sickly constitution as opposed to Tetsu’s. Revered by the other three and he too cares for them like brothers of his own. Specialty: is very perceptive of his surroundings, a formidable enemy when it comes to mind games. Has taken interest in Akashi Seijuurou.

 

* * *

 

 

**Chapter 10: The Truth**

  
_Beep._

  
_I hear voices. And a constant beeping sound every three seconds but why is it that I can’t see anything?_

  
“Akashi, you should get some rest.”

  
“Ah, I’ll be fine, Shintarou, and I appreciate your help.”

  
“You haven’t had a wink of sleep though. And don’t thank me, I’m just doing what a doctor should be doing.”

  
“I’ll stay here for a while longer. Well, don’t expect another thanks from me.”

  
_Beep._

  
“Is Kurokocchi going to be okay??”

  
“Shh, Ryou. Not too loud.”

  
“But, Daikicchi- Kurokocchi is... why was such an awful thing...”

  
“Tetsu’s fine, he’s a lot sturdier than he looks. And babe, you just had a blood transfusion so don’t thrash around too much.”

  
“This is nothing compared to what Kurokocchi had to go through! Oh Daikicchi, why does it have to be him...”

  
_Beep._

  
_More voices and beeps. Although I can hear them, it’s as if I am not here. I can’t even feel my body. It feels like I’m floating. It’s cold. So cold..._

  
“Ehh~ Kuro-chin’s not awake yet? Even though I brought his favourite vanilla shortcakes with me...”

  
“You can’t just stuff them in his mouth, Atsushi.”

  
“Why not, Muro-chin~?”

  
“Let’s wait until Kuroko-kun wakes up and then we can eat the cakes together with him?”

  
“Un, if Muro-chin says so~”

  
_It’s not... cold. The voices I hear... were warm and full of kindness. And the part where it’s warm the most is..._

  
Baby blue eyes hazily fluttered open and the first thing Kuroko saw was a mop of fiery red hair nuzzling on top of his chest, tickling his nose a little.

  
“A..kashi..kun?”

  
The redhead stirred a little, when the once lifeless heartbeats grew rapid by his ear. “Tetsuya, are you awake? I’ve seemed to have fallen asleep on you, my bad.” He tiredly rubbed his baggy eyes, a sleepy yawn escaped his slightly chapped lips and Kuroko easily teared up as soon as their eyes met.

  
“Akashi-kun, this is not a dream, right? I’m... still alive... am I? And... And Akashi-kun is real, is he?” Kuroko shakily hugged Akashi just to confirm it, the IV needle on his wrist stung a little when he moved too suddenly but nothing could compare to the pain, to the suffocating heaviness weighing down in his heart, this was nothing at all.

  
“Yes, Tetsuya. You’re alive, I’m real and this is no dream.” Akashi cradled the trembling bluenette close to his chest, his shirt soon dampened by the rare tears of Kuroko’s who seemed oddly vulnerable the last few days which was unsurprising really, judging by what he had to go through three days ago. Heterochromatic eyes softened at the sight of Kuroko’s shaky hands clutching his back tightly, as if the bluenette was afraid he would disappear at any time.

  
Akashi ghosted his lips to the exposed milky white nape before lightly biting it, afterwards licking it with tender.

  
“...!” Kuroko instantaneously flinched, an audible gasp escaping his mouth. “..haa-!”

  
“See, that hurt, did it not? Then this couldn’t possibly be a dream, could it now?” Akashi whispered low, his hot breaths made Kuroko’s skin tingled badly and every hair on his body stood upright almost as if a jolt of electricity had coursed throughout his body.

  
“Y-you don’t have to do that, I believed Akashi-kun in the first place.” Sulked the bluenette, whose cheeks took a dark shade of red, redder than Akashi’s hair colour even. And he didn’t even realise at which point did he stop crying as he tried to pull away out of embarrassment when the redhead returned the embrace twice as tight, mouthing a; “I’m sorry.”

  
Akashi pulled back as quickly as when he first embraced the startled bluenette, purposely clearing his throat after taking a seat next to the hospital bed. Meanwhile, Kuroko remained unmoved, looking like he had something to say but decidedly held back, waiting for Akashi to speak up first.

  
“I’ll answer all of the questions on your mind. You’ve been attacked with a knife by a man named Hanamiya Makoto and I won’t hide the main reason of his actions was to get me, so you have all the more reason to resent me or even quit your contract with me.”

  
“Aka-...”

  
“The cut is approximately 3.5 cm long and 3 cm deep while the stitch added another 0.5 cm to the length but non were life-threatening except for the fact you suffered a great deal of blood loss and had to undergo immediate surgery to disinfect the wound and a blood transfusion was also done so-”

  
“Akashi-kun.”

  
The redhead continued rambling on – yes, _rambling_ – as if he couldn’t hear the bluenette at all. “The paramedics along with the police arrived exactly two minutes after Hanamiya disappeared as I had shared our location with Daiki earlier that night and to top it off, they managed to catch the real culprit of the zombie bride case as I had planned-”

  
“Akashi-kun!” Kuroko called again, louder by a decibel this time. And he finally managed to get the detective’s attention.

  
“What is it?”

  
“Akashi-kun, it’s alright. I feel fine now really, thank you for explaining.” Kuroko gently slipped the redhead’s cold hand into his, baby blue eyes boring into mismatched ones. “But is Akashi-kun okay? The whole explanation can wait and you don’t have to force yourself if you don’t want to.”

  
Akashi silently stared back before gripping the warm hand a little tighter. “And how am I forcing myself right now?”

  
Kuroko swiftly leaned forward, cupping Akashi’s cheek with his free hand before bringing his index finger in between the red eyebrows. “This here. You’re furrowing your eyebrows even further today, the number of wrinkles here noticeably increased. And then your eyes, they’re lacking their usual mischievous glints. Lastly...” The bluenette trailed from Akashi’s eyes to his lips and settled his fingers there. “This mouth here is also not displaying the usual Akashi Seijuurou-kun’s trademark smirk... I wonder why?”

  
_‘Now who’s the detective again?’_ There was mirth in those unique coloured eyes that finally met his calm gaze.

  
_‘I’m doing a mighty fine job at it, am I not?’_ Kuroko arched an eyebrow as if he was trying to crack a joke which was so unlike of him but the things he’d do to get the red-haired man back to his old self.

  
In return, the redhead brought Kuroko’s fingers into his hand and softly kissed them. “How could I show such a contemptuous smile in front of you, Tetsuya, when I fail to apprehend the man who did such a horrible deed to you?” His eyes were dead, still not a flicker of light in them. Was this how it felt to fail so miserably in the line of work he was so confident in? Would this prove he was the same as the other humans as well?

  
It may just be a simple bad luck to others, but to Akashi, this was as bad as death itself.

  
“Akashi-kun hasn’t fail anything since he hasn’t started anything yet though?” Kuroko tilted his head to one side, there was genuine confusion in his eyes. He really meant each word he just uttered.

  
A quiet chuckle escaped Akashi’s mouth as he temporarily closed his eyes. “You wouldn’t let me win this conversation in the first place, would you now?”

  
_You’ve always known what to say during times like this. Where was this immense strength coming from that frail body of yours?_ Akashi secretly thought to himself and was it just him or did Kuroko suddenly looked so dazzlingly bright all of a sudden? He was almost blinding.

  
Was it an act out of impulsiveness or was it just curiosity mixed with want that led to his current action of bringing his face closer to Kuroko’s until their noses touched, Akashi wasn’t so sure anymore. He caressed the smooth pinkish cheek, tucking the pastel blue strands behind an ear and gently murmured, “Tetsuya...”

  
“Hm?” Large almond-shaped eyes widened by a microscopic fraction when Akashi suddenly inched his face a little too close for comfort so that Kuroko wouldn’t have the time to react, his chin was then locked in place by the redhead’s icy fingertips. “...Akashi-kun..?”

  
The myriad of sounds ceased all of a sudden, along with the movement and smell of anything else aside from the redhead. And he felt like he was floating on nothing, only the contact with Akashi remained. It was almost as if Kuroko had lost all five senses. Only he did not. More like he was overly conscious of Akashi and only him.

  
Exhaling a little, he willingly shut his eyes, his heart began pumping erratically against his ribcage. And yet another foreign emotion set in his very core. It was anticipation.

  
_Could it be that... Akashi-kun is going to...?_

  
Their lips were now only a few millimetres away when the door to Kuroko’s room forcefully banged open.

  
“Oi, Akashi, I brought you some food...whoops.” A certain tanned man stopped dead on his track as soon as his navy blue eyes fell unto the two men whose faces were so abnormally close and from his point of view, they may as well be kissing. “Sorry, I should probably come back later-”

  
“Nonsense. Come in, Daiki.” Akashi calmly said with an uncharacteristic sweet smile on his face and the policeman instantly knew he had just dug his own grave.

  
_Shit... I didn’t mean to barge into you two, but you guys should know better than to be making out in a hospital geez._

  
He eyed the bluenette, secretly sending SOS signals to save his skin from the redhead who was now radiating a rare murderous intent. Kuroko apologetically shook his head while hiding his mouth with his hand so that they wouldn’t see his expression at the moment. He was trying hard to contain his laughter, that was why. And just then, something crossed his mind.

  
_Who? Me, laughing? How very peculiar._

  
“Should I pay you a visit then when Ryouta is around next time, Daiki?” _When you two are ‘busy’, I mean._

  
Aomine knew what he meant in a heartbeat.

  
_Oh, fuck no Akashi._

  
“I said I was sorry dammit. Oh, speaking of Kise... that sha la la blondie said hi by the way. He’s performing at the theatre right now so he couldn’t come here with me.” Aomine said, passing the basket full of food (Momoi-san made them) to Akashi and lightly ruffled Kuroko’s hair. “And how’re you holding up, Tetsu?”

  
_**Tetsu. . . ?** _

  
“I feel a lot better now, thank you for asking. And Aomine-kun even went out of his way to come here. I do apologise for the inconvenience.” The bluenette bowed a little, some of his longer bangs fell down to his eyes. _All of this wouldn’t have happened had I taken care of myself better._

  
“What’re you sayin’? I’d visit you as much as I want, it’s no inconvenience at all.” Aomine grinned, but secretly thought to himself, _‘but maybe I shouldn't have come today’._ Akashi was without a doubt, still staring daggers at him like he wanted to bury him alive.

  
The redhead finally redirected his gaze to the bluenette who grew silent and he quickly knew something was on his mind.

  
_Tetsu. Aomine-kun started calling me that a while ago but..._

  
_I remember now of the name Tetsu which wasn’t even mine to begin with._

  
_Tetsu-kun was..._

  
The sound of static pulled him back out of reverie. It was coming from Aomine’s walkie talkie strapped neatly to his waist. ‘Aomine, where the hell did you go? Get your ass back to the station asap!’ His superior, Nijimura Shuuzo, barked through the talkie and the tanned man cluck his tongue in response. “Tch, I got it already. Be there in five.”

  
‘Did you just click your tongue at me?! And don’t you dare talk back to your superior or I’ll triple your shift’s hours, damned obnoxious brat!’

  
“Yeah, yeah...” Aomine exhaled an exaggerated sigh before getting up on his feet, only then did he took notice of two pairs of eyes quietly staring at him. “Welp, duty calls so I gotta go.” Akashi and Kuroko alike blankly nodded, the bluenette’s eyebrows furrowed in concern whilst the redhead smugly raised an eyebrow.

  
_Good riddance._

  
Aomine scoffed at the major difference in personalities of his two close friends. What was someone as good-hearted as Kuroko doing with a jaded person like Akashi? Unless... he might be able to change the redhead for the better..? Wouldn’t that be a sight to see.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Aomine left the room, Akashi pulled the pale blue curtains close and sat beside Kuroko, with a plan in mind.

  
“Are you in there, _Tetsu_?” Akashi said out of the blue as he stared straight into sky blue orbs and Kuroko unconsciously nodded as soon as he heard the very name rolling off the redhead’s tongue, his eyes closed and when he reopened they took a darker shade of sapphire blue.

  
“Yo, you called?” Tetsu showed a toothy grin, slowly stretching his sore muscles after he pulled the IV drip from his wrist but winced in pain afterwards. “Ow, that shitty Hanamiya sure didn’t hold back did he?” He rubbed his bandaged abdomen, insensitively saying, “This is definitely gonna leave a scar, huh? Oh, wait I mean-”

  
Akashi was already on his feet, standing directly in front of the straightforward bluenette, flicking his forehead without restraining the force used in his middle finger.

  
“Ow-! What are you..!” Tetsu whimpered in pain, immediately covering his now reddened forehead. “Why did you do that for?!”

  
“That’s what you get for being so brutally honest (when you already knew I was the one who allowed him to get hurt in the first place). Pleasure meeting you by the way, Tetsu.”

  
“Well, pleasure’s not mine definitely!” Tetsu whined like a little kid who had just been scolded, still rubbing at his swollen forehead. “You hit me too hard... I hate you...”

  
The redhead tiredly sighed. He just couldn’t stay mad at the bluenette any longer, not when he resembled a certain purple-haired man a little too much. Murasakibara and him would definitely be the best of friends had they met. He then pulled Tetsu’s head closer and apologetically (read: awkwardly) kissed his forehead. “There, better? I’m sorry for hitting you too hard.” What was he doing, dancing to the other’s tune again?

  
Tetsu’s sea blue eyes instantly sparkled, his once scowling face now glowed in happiness. “Sei reminds me so much of Kuro-nii! I like you!” He glomped at the unsuspecting detective, literally radiating kitties and bunnies and all illegally cute things while Akashi readily welcomed the contact of their bodies, gently patting the slightly longer teal hair. Well, they even thought of the same thing. As expected of Tetsuya’s other personas.

  
“But, aren’t you being a bit too wishy-washy? It’s hate with you and then like the next.” The redhead lightly reprimanded Kuroko’s other persona who was still stuck to him like superglue.

  
“Isn’t it fine? If Sei reminds me of Kuro-nii then Sei could never be a bad guy.” Pouted Tetsu, staring up at him from his chest.

  
“And who is this Kuro-nii again?” Akashi asked, partly interested in meeting such persona and partly because he wouldn’t get too much information talking to Tetsu, as pure and adorable as he was.

  
“Kuro-nii’s like a brother to me! He’s kind and gentle but he can be really scary when he’s angry... You can’t meet with Kuro-nii yet since he’s having a major fight with Ko-nee. Again.” Tetsu reluctantly admitted, almost as if he shouldn’t have told the redhead about this matter.

  
“Ko-nee? Is there also a female persona?” Asked Akashi, at the same time making a small mind map in his head linking everything he knew of Kuroko’s peculiar case.

  
_The long-haired man, Tsuya who seemed to have the mind-reading and telepathy abilities, perhaps the curse lies within him as well. The child-like man, Tetsu whose name meant steel so it’s appropriate to assume he is the courage or strength of Tetsuya. Kuro and Ko whom I haven’t met yet... That’s four of them. Perhaps there are even more? Is this another rare case of DID and nothing else?_

  
“Nah, Ko-nee is a guy and uh, he’s quite the oddball... But I’m sure Sei would’ve liked him if you met him too!” Tetsu enthusiastically said when he remembered something. “I know! Why don’t you meet Tsuya-niisama! He did say he wishes to see you!”

  
Akashi showed no signs of shock but hearing the familiar name again brought his usual smirk back on his lips. “Just what I wanted to hear.”

  
_I could definitely find out more about the different personas of Tetsuya and how they came to be from Tsuya. And properly investigate what he meant when he said ‘I’m the only one that could save them all.’ Why me?_

  
“We’re here~” Murasakibara slid the curtain open without a warning and Kuroko immediately went limp, having to be caught by the redhead before he could end up with a bump on the head. The bluenette quickly regained consciousness seconds later and tiredly rubbed his eyes. “I hear Murasakibara-kun’s voice..?”

  
“Ah, Atsushi. And Himuro-san.” Akashi drawled, keeping a calm facade but he was giving off a dangerous aura once more. What was with him and these pesky little interruptions where he would be well off without?

  
“Hn, what’s Aka-chin doing? Is today Hugging Day? Let me in on it too~” The huge man loomed over the bed before slinging his arms around them while Himuro watched with great hilarity; the three cuddling close together which was undoubtedly a sight to behold.

  
“No, Atsushi. Today isn’t Hugging Day or anything equivalent to that. Tetsuya is simply lightheaded and mustn’t be disturbed.” Akashi pinched the bridge of his nose before heaving a long sigh. The insane timings of these guys. It may as well be part of a plot against him.

  
“That’s quite a heavy sigh coming from you, Akashi. Is anything the matter?” The doctor walked further inside after shutting the door behind him, carrying a cream-coloured bag in one hand. Judging by just the smell, the keen detective instantly knew they were the cavity-inducing freshly baked vanilla shortcakes.

  
“Aka-chin, we need some tea with those cakes, don’t you think?” The lilac suddenly said, already pulling the redhead out of the room. “We’ll get one for Muro-chin and Kuro-chin as well~”

  
“Why do I have to-!” Akashi grumbled and his voice slowly trailed away from Kuroko’s room as he and his two-metre companion made their way to the cafeteria.

  
“And how are you feeling, Kuroko-kun? Still lightheaded?” Himuro took a seat by the bed and the bluenette shook his head. “I’m feeling better now, thank you for asking. Is everything okay for Himuro-san and Murasakibara-kun as well?”

  
“Yes... It couldn’t have been any better, Kuroko-kun. I’m so happy and contented right now, I’m afraid it might all be nothing but a dream, this fleeting happiness of mine. Do I deserve such blessings while Louis had already...” The older ravenette admitted, clasping his two hands into a tight knuckle, they trembled a little. He looked tremendously overjoyed but awfully sad at the same time.

  
Sky blue eyes travelled down to Himuro’s hands and Kuroko gently brought them into his when suddenly, flashes of the ravenette’s past momentarily flowed into him.

  
_‘I’m sorry, Louis...’ Himuro said, guilt apparent in his platinum eyes._

  
_‘Don’t be, Tatsuya. We wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for our parents to begin with.’ Replied a woman with shoulder-length luscious blond hair, smiling understandingly._

  
**_“I’m sorry I couldn't be truthful to you completely, Louis. That I already fell in love with someone and that someone is a...”_ **

  
_._

  
_._

  
_._

  
_‘My name is Francesca Walker, I’ll be your new junior surgeon from now on.’ A maroon-haired lady with equally maroon eyes introduced herself and although Himuro couldn’t exactly point it out, she reminded him very much of Louis. Even though they looked nothing alike. Her demure perhaps?_

  
_‘Likewise. I’m Himuro Tatsuya.’ He took the offered hand into a handshake, unaware of the intense stare the other was giving._

  
**_“He’s mine... Only mine. And no one else could take him away from me. Not even you, Louis. You stole everything from me. I hate you. I HATE YOU. I WILL KILL YOU.”_ **

  
_._

  
_._

  
_._

  
_Bzzt.. bzzt.._

  
_Himuro blearily blinked in search of the source of the sound. Sleeping right next to him was the person he held very dearly in his heart, snuggling close to him. Smiling, he grabbed his phone and was already swiping the green icon when Louis’ name popped up. ‘Hello, what is it, Louis?’_

  
_‘Tatsuya?? It’s about Louis..! She- She’s..! Come back home please..!’ A different voice greeted him back, frantic, anxious and panicky, almost hysteric. It was Louis’ housemaid, Jane. A sick feeling settled in his stomach right then and Himuro immediately knew, something very bad had happened._

  
_‘I-I’ll be right there..!’_

  
_._

  
_._

  
_._

  
“...!” Kuroko rapidly retracted his hand, looking a lot more whiter than before. Himuro was slightly astonished by his action, but didn’t question why the bluenette acted like he had just seen a ghost.

  
Perhaps it was just that. Kuroko was what you would called _gifted_. The ravenette may be a man of logic due to his occupation but it didn’t stop him from believing in spiritual powers as passed down in his distant family lineages back in the past.

  
“Kuroko-kun. Are you... interested in listening to my story?” He asked instead when Kuroko had seemingly calmed down. And to his surprise, the lithe person in front of him nodded curtly. There was no longer fear nor hesitation in his voice and clear cerulean eyes. “Yes, I would like to.”

  
The older man raked through his hair and sighed a little before he began, “Louis and I were engaged at the tender age of ten, which was of course predominantly determined by both of our parents. And I met Atsushi five years later, he was a junior below me in middle school, you see.”

  
Gray-black orbs gleamed as Himuro recollected the first time he met the purple-haired boy who may seemed cheeky to others but in his eyes, Atsushi had everything he didn’t. The courage to speak his mind, his overwhelming presence and most importantly, he possessed that very freedom to do anything as he pleased. The one thing Himuro yearned to have for so long.

 

* * *

  
  
_Sixteen years ago..._

  
_“I’m done with the worksheets distribution, Mr. Smith.” Himuro, in a white top, black long-sleeved coat and a stripy red tie with matching black slacks, was about to enter the Physics cum Disciplinary teacher’s office when the man flung himself out of the room, looking like a madman. “Where did he ran off to?!”_

  
_“Um, who is it are you referring to again?” The ravenette faked a smile when his teacher finally gazed his way._

  
_“O-oh! Tatsuya, you’re done? Excellent work as always.” The middle-aged man pulled out a hanky from his pocket and furiously wiped off the sweat on his drenched face. “Ah, I was talking about a new transfer student- wait, he’s also from your country if I’m not mistaken.”_

  
_“A student from Japan? Really?” Himuro’s ears easily perked up at the mention of having another Japanese student in a foreign country so far away from their homeland._

  
_“Unfortunately, he isn’t as well-rounded as you are, Tatsuya. Academically-wise, yes he is top-notch but he’s very notorious for his laziness. He’s been skipping classes for the tenth time since he arrived here last week. Can you believe it!” The British briefly crinkled his nose._

  
_Himuro on the other hand, was quietly listening to his teacher, his interest in the new student only piqued more and more. He wanted to meet him. “What’s his name, sir, if I may ask?”_

  
_“I think it’s Mu... Mura-something... A... At... Atsushi! He’s in Year 9, just a year below you.” Mr. Smith’s face went very red whenever he tried hard to remember something and Japanese names were more of a tongue twister to him than anything._

  
_And Himuro smiled apologetically for troubling him into remembering, he couldn’t blame him for that as for himself, some English names or words were pretty hard to pronounce too._

  
_‘...Atsushi, huh? Sounds like an interesting person.’_

  
_*_

  
_The next day..._

  
_It was lunch time. Himuro strolled to his favourite spot for lunch carrying his usual lunchbox of rice balls, chicken karaage, prawn tempura, some salad and cherry tomatoes and a flask of hot green tea. Upon arriving, he halted. Someone else was under the blooming cherry blossom tree, sleeping. Not sitting against the tree but legit straight up laying on his back and curling up like a cat._

  
_The ravenette walked closer to the mysterious student whose long purple bangs were covering his closed eyes, a light snore escaping his parted lips. And he was mumbling incoherently every few seconds, something that sounded like a chant of Japanese noodles; ‘udon soba zzzz... ramen somen shirataki zzzz... harusame yakisoba zzzz...’_

  
_Himuro unconsciously giggled at that and violet eyes blinked open almost instantaneously, rolling towards his direction. He quickly covered his mouth and bowed a few times, whispering,“...ah! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”_

  
_The lilac was now sitting upright properly, he was a lot taller and bigger than Himuro originally thought he was. They were about three feet away from each other. The boy eyed him without a word when he suddenly snatched the smaller arm causing the ravenette to buckle over in front of him, clutching the broader shoulder for support. “...!”_

  
_Himuro felt waves of hot breaths tickling his right ear and soon realised the other was sniffing him. “...may I ask what are you doing right now?” His voice was muffled by the black blazer rustling close to his mouth and nose. And the shocks kept on piling after the initial one._

  
_The other boy took a few more sniffs before settling his chin on the lean shoulder, simply saying; “You smell pretty good...”_

  
_“W-what...” Himuro furiously blinked, flustered now by the lilac’s words and that was when he heard it. A loud grumbling noise of an empty stomach. Silence ensued for a whole minute before he politely asked, “Are you hungry..? Would you like to have some of my lunch then?”_

  
_“Uhuh... um... wait... can I~?” The purple-haired boy drawled one by one and Himuro couldn’t help but smile warmly. Was it wrong to think of another boy around his age as cute?_

  
_*_

  
_“What’s your name by the way? I’m Himuro Tatsuya, Year 10, pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” The ravenette finally introduced himself when they were just about to finish eating. The lilac languidly turned to his direction right after taking a large bite of the dried plum rice ball, swallowing only after a few chews. A grain of rice somehow stuck at a corner of his mouth and Himuro automatically picked at it with his hand._

  
_Before he could do or say anything, the lilac grabbed hold of his wrist first and licked the rice grain off his fingers like it was the most normal thing to do. “....it’s Murasakibara Atsushi. Nice to meetcha, Muro-chin~”_

  
_Now, Himuro had an inkling on who this person might be but hearing the very name rolling off Murasakibara’s own tongue sent shivers down his spine. At that instant, he became strangely aware of the lilac’s actions and everything he did inexplicably made his heart beat a tad faster._

  
_“So you’re... Atsushi.”_

  
_An arrow shot through the heart. A heartbeat skipped. Faint blush spreading across cheeks. At the age of fifteen, Himuro Tatsuya experienced his first love._

  
_**To be continued...** _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who’re wondering: The part where I used both bold and italic fonts during the flashes of Himuro's memories seen by Kuroko were one's own thoughts at that time. Year 9 is equivalent to 8th grade (14 years old). 
> 
> Ahhh but the direction this chapter is taking is killing me. I did wanted to finish Himuro’s story in one go but I’m all out of brain juices (and will be so for a while) so please bear with me just a little more, loves. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and I’ll see you in a week or two (new term’s starting soon yikes). Best of luck to you guys as well! :)


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